Not like we can all vote for or against him. He’s out of my area. But, speaking as a proud Mississippian, I think this whole thing sucks. What other judge asks people to recite the Pledge? I’ve sure never seen it happen. My husband will not say the Pledge because, in his opinion, he’s not pledging any kind of allegiance to a piece of cloth. I don’t agree with him, but I will defend his right not to say the Pledge. This judge needs to step down. Quickly.
Preferably onto a land mine.
Enough hyperbole already. This judge made a bad call. He’s not the monster some are making him out to be. He does not deserve death or a lifetime of poverty for this incident. He fucked up. You (generic) have also fucked up royally at some point in your life. Done something you really shouldn’t oughta have done. Maybe you paid a price for it. Maybe not. Odds are this judge is going to pay a price…possibly a heavy price…for this mistake. That will be determined by some combination of the Judicial Performance Committee, the Bar, and the State Supreme Court. According to law and precedent. Not according to the whims of a lynch mob on the internet.
“Made a bad call”? The fucker’s a judge; he’s supposed to uphold the constitution and know the law. It’s not like he got drunk and accidentally knocked up some chick he met at a bar.
I disagree with the idea that this is just some kind of “mistake”. Demanding that adults recite the Pledge of Allegiance smacks of a pretty hidebound and ritualistic jingoism; locking someone up (even briefly) for not doing so indicates a very authoritarian and arrogant personality. I don’t really think Littlejohn should be packed off to Gitmo; taken out and shot; or be hanged, drawn, and quartered. I do think he should be removed from the bench.
I would point out that if I locked someone up for several hours, I would probably be looking at pretty serious felony charges–false imprisonment gets you one to ten years in the pokey around here, and since the lawyer in question was presumably moved to a different place (the jail), that might constitute kidnapping, which gets you ten to twenty years. I don’t imagine Mississippi would treat such actions terribly leniently either. We entrust certain people in our society with the power to deprive other persons of their liberty; that includes police officers; regular folks serving on a jury; and judges, who are empowered with pretty broad powers of contempt in order to maintain order in their courtrooms. Those powers are necessary, but also potentially dangerous. It is very important they not be misused or abused. This sort of petty tyranny is very much NOT what judges are entrusted with their powers for.
I think that’s a real possibility. I’ve read reports that at least one complaint with the Judicial Performance Committee has been filed, and more are expected. No facts are in dispute. The order he signed is a smoking gun. The only real question is what sanction is going to be imposed.
Bad call? Civil rights are dead, Oak! Don’t you have any idea what he’s done here?!
Lampley is black? The Nigras are going to run amok!
He deserves to be fired. From the cites listed in this thread, he has a history of fucking up and has no business being a judge. As for lynch mobs, it’s strangely appropriate - the original Lynch was a judge 
This comment did not get the lulz it deserved. I actually came in here to post something similar, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as funny.
Oh, and magellan? You can go to hell with your glee over lawyers going to jail, even if you were joking. First off, nobody should ever go to jail undeserved. I hope you never actually NEED a lawyer, and can comfortably and casually make jokes about a group of people who might actually protect your rights or save you a lot of money (or get you a lot of money) someday.
Whatever you say, Francis. :rolleyes:
The other stuff he did, with the allegations of racism and all that, all happened before he became a judge. So that was all public record when he ran for office, assuming there was even anyone to run against him.
I think both sides acted badly here. The judge shouldn’t have made the lawyer say the pledge, but upon being told to say the pledge, the lawyer should have said it and then filed a complaint with the appropriate authorities. The problem, it seems to me, is that both sides were too busy standing up for what they thought was right to back down.
Except only one side was actually right. And that side went to jail.
I don’t know if he was right. I mean, he had the absolute legal right not to say the pledge, but by not saying it, he put his client’s case in jeopardy, wound up spending time in jail in contempt, and probably irrevocably prejudiced the judge against him in the future. So I don’t know if he handled the situation the best way he could have handled it.
Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. No way I would have said the pledge if ordered by a judge.
I’ve always had the attitude that while it’s bad for the arthritis, it’s better to live on your knees than die on your feet.
I don’t care if it was 100 years ago, this “judge” is/was a racist and a control freak. He should have never become a judge. here is no equivalency either. I don’t want to hear how this lawyer deserves it because he dared to disobey a crazy judge. GOOD for the lawyer. He stood up for himself. GOOD for him. I’m not interested in any “both sides” nonsense in the least.
I’d rather die on my feet, thank you very much. I hope we never have to see you talk about any “rights” you might think you have, if you’d sell them so cheaply.
Why do you hate America? Seriously, The judge is trying to force the lawyer to do something completely immoral and illegal, and you think he should go along with it and complain later? What if the Judge told everyone in court to salute a photo of Hitler? Go along with it and complain later? Fuck that.
Believe me, there have been many times I’ve had to bite my tongue in court when a judge does something I don’t like, but there are things that are within a judge’s discretion, no matter how much I might disagree, and things that are just plain outside his/her power. A judge can tell me to shut up, wear a tie, stand up when I speak, and show up at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday. A judge cannot, and will not ever, make me pledge to a flag.
Then, if you really mean that, you’re an idiot. Look, this case wasn’t a big deal. The guy had a choice between reciting some meaningless formula or sitting in a jail cell for a few hours. So if the guy wants to defy the judge’s order, that’s not such a big thing. But if you’re faced with the real choice between “dying on your feet or living on your knees”, choose life. Always choose life. Slaves can be set free, tyrants can die, and as long as you’re alive, there are millions of possibilities, and even people who live under oppression can experience moments of joy and happiness. When you die that’s gone. And it’s one thing to sacrifice your life to make a difference, but never do it for just a gesture.