Completely agree. But the respect aforded to judges is to their position. That is why you can be in contempt of court but not contempt of judge. A real judge, one who is sitting in their official capacity are representitives of the constitution, the nation and its people. That is why they ar afforded a higher level of respect.
I agree that the kid acted like an ass. I also agree that he was properly chastized. But the person he mouthed off to was nothing more than a paid actor on a daytime tv show. They are not bound by any law. This is not even arbitration. It is in the end a tv show and the participants are actors.
I have to disagree with that point too. I’ve read recently that the judges in the arbitration provided by the big credit card companies, who force you to agree to such arbitration as part of the credit card contract, are little more than bought and paid for stoolies for the credit card companies, ruling in their favor 97 percent of the time (or more). I don’t see that they deserve much if any respect.
I agree about no need for heightened respect for retired judges. But my experience with arbitration is both parties must agree to a particular arbitrator. If cardholder thinks the fix is in they can object to a particular. A more serious problem is that all arbitrators know which side of the bread the butter’s on. They will be biased in favor of the BigCompany every time due to potential for repeat business.
Even if, for the sake of argument, we concede that credit card arbitration is forced down the throats of cardholders, and is far from fair and neutral, I’d argue that that’s unusual, or at least distinguishable from the arbitration on People’s Court. No one is being compelled to agree to binding arbitration in order to gain an essential tool of modern commerce (a credit card) - both sides are free to decline the invitation to come on the show, and litigate in conventional small claims court. Further, the judge on this show has absolutely no interest in the outcome of the case - she’s a neutral magistrate.
And, jtgain, I agree with you that the show’s format demands forceful advocacy. But one can be forceful and still show deference to the proceeding. Simply speaking in a calm tone of voice and prefacing your comment with “with respect, Your Honor” can work wonders. For example, that kid probably wouldn’t have gotten chewed out if he’d simply said, “With respect, Your Honor, this document follows the form of most ordinary lease agreements in my community. It may have been lengthy, but we expect people to read and understand the documents they sign - and the plaintiff signed this. That placed her on notice.” Short, to the point, and it makes that point without sounding like a jerk.
Agreed. But if you noticed, she interrupted him three times as he was trying to make a logical argument. His response was juvenile at best, and not becoming of an aspiring lawyer, but these shows aren’t designed for a Darrow v. Bryan type of exchange.
They are there for entertainment about who stole money from who and who slept with what boyfriend. Any pretense of normal law and justice is thrown out the window when this “court” is convened, so I don’t fully side with the judge and bash the kid.
Your point is well taken. I suspect that, since this was the very end of the segment, this kid may well have already raised these points, and that’s why the judge cut him off. But without tracking down and watching the whole thing, I can’t determine that one way or the other - and I haven’t the stomach to sit though a whole episode of People’s Court. So, I agree the judge may have been out of line. I’d still contend that the kid’s response was totally unacceptable - but it sounds like you agree with me, there.
Humiliate yourself on national TV for a few hundred bucks? I still don’t get it. Also, if you go to a regular court, you can still make (or save) money if you make your case. I guess they get paid a lot.
(That gives me an idea. If the money they pay you is more than what you pay out if you lose a case, I could offend people and then make a profit. And I could be a star!)
His thought process was probably more along the lines of “I’ll go on TV and show off the awesome legal skills I’m developing!” Apparently, behaving respectfully to judges and taking criticism without crying about it are taught in the third year.
Wait, there’s an appearance fee that’s big enough to cover any small claims case?
I did not know that. That changes things.
I like Marilyn Milian, but I’ve seen her start to really rip into litigants–or arbitration-seekers, I guess–on the show. I’m afraid of her turning into Judge Judy (whom I find nigh intolerable).
No it was not. Judges should show restraint, temperance and humility.
She suffers from a disease known among lawyers as “black robe-itis,” symptoms being arrogance, petulence, self-importance and loud rants from the bench.
Start with three parts “You aren’t working up to your potential,” add two parts “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to major in something like math where you don’t have to think so hard?” and simmer for 20 minutes, adding constant beratement and occasionally questioning the marital status of my parents at the time of my birth. Serve over a warm bed of “I sure hope you realize that this is nothing compared to what I expect from my students in Victorian Lit.”
Here’s another take on why that judge IMO properly ripped into the kid: For a lot of people, TV shows like this constitute their primary exposure to the legal system. Yes, yes, frightening, huh? But so it is. Given that, allowing the smartass kid to mouth off like that to the judge and get off unscathed would send the wrong message about how to behave in court. I noticed that this judge said words to the effect: “You don’t have to respect me personally but you damn well better show respect to the court,” and that was a message that I believe properly needed sending.
Certainly one can argue whether she went over the line into intemperance, although the way the kid kept interrupting her, I think he had it coming. He’d better change career plans and go into something tamer than litigation, like wills and estates, if he still wants to be a lawyer.
I think the Judge’s ire was entirely real - not feigned for the cameras.
I loved seeing that wise ass punk getting his due. And I hope all his profs
see the clip. They’re probably are up to here with that kid’s antics, and they’ll use it
on him to emphasize his childishness.
She is a judge. A judge is a person who presides over a dispute, and whose decision is binding. Both parties here agree that she is the judge. This is a court of arbitration.
So, I agree the judge may have been out of line. I’d still contend that the kid’s response was totally unacceptable - but it sounds like you agree with me, there.