No trespassing – private property (photo by David Lat).
Being a judge isn’t all easy. Sure, they really like their jobs, but part of the work is interacting with people who either got caught doing really dumb stuff or just don’t want to be there. Case in point: Judge Cedric Simpson. You may recognize his name from the time he presided over a suspended license case and a guy Zoom called in from behind the wheel. He’s back, and this time, he’s had a less-than stellar interaction with someone accused of trespassing. The New York Post has coverage:
Darrell Jarrell appeared before Washtenaw County Judge Cedric Simpson on Wednesday for a simple misdemeanor trespassing charge — but as the judge was about to adjourn, he decided to sound off.
“I’m tired of this state. I’m ready to leave this state as soon as possible,” Jarrell said.
“It’s trespassing. I could technically leave, and you guys could issue a warrant and as long as I don’t return, you can just kiss my ass.”
If you reflexively clutched pearls at the thought of you or your clients saying this to a judge, good news! He does it a total of six times! You can watch the exchange for yourself below:
Trespassing is one of those crimes where, assuming you aren’t stepping foot on Area 51 or something, is a pretty big nothingburger. To come out the other side of a trespassing charge with over a year in prison is, quite frankly, impressive.
We could talk about the importance of maintaining decorum or judicial obligations to be reasonable even when defendants don’t return that courtesy, but that’s not what we as a publication are best suited to do. What we can say is that this little exchange is hilarious and someone — John Oliver or the Rick and Morty people preferably — needs to cover this before it gets memed to hell by someone less worthy.
Defendant hit with 558 days in jail for contempt after telling Michigan judge to ‘kiss my a–‘ [NY Post]
Earlier: If You Have To Go To Court, Try Not To Livestream Proof Of Guilt
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
#Lot #Time #Tresspassing
