This has nothing to do with being a lawyer and everything to do with being a human being.
I saw this on www.tumblr.com and realized that this is a concept worthy of going viral.
If you go into a Starbucks or Peets or Coffee Bean or any coffee house, order a coffee for yourself and order a "suspended coffee." You'll pay for two coffees but will walk out with one. A homeless person, on a cold winter day, will walk in and ask the barista if they have a suspended coffee and, lo and behold, the homeless person will walk out with a hot cup of coffee in his or her hands to help them through the day.
Folks, I don't usually reprint other articles on my blog. However, this one along with the inciting video is worth the read and watch!
Bottom Line: Judges, as well as attorneys and litigants, need to be held responsible for their actions.
From the ABA Journal:
An admittedly intemperate family court judge has been suspended
without pay for the remaining years of his term by the West Virginia
Supreme Court of Appeals.
In one angry rant from the bench
that has been viewed on YouTube more than 200,000 times, Putnam County
Circuit Court Family Law Judge William M. Watkins III repeatedly told a
pastor appearing before him to "shut up." And this was far from the only
time he spoke to parties using inappropriate language, according to the
opinion (PDF) filed Tuesday by the supreme court.
In one hearing, the opinion says, when speaking to a woman who was
seeking an order of protection against her then-husband in a domestic
violence case, Watkins blamed the woman for "shooting off your fat mouth
about what happened," told her to "Shut up!" and then continued:
"Shut up! You stupid woman. Can’t even act properly. One more word out
of you that you aren’t asked a question you’re out of here, and you will
be found in direct contempt of court and I will fine you appropriately.
So, shut your mouth.You know I hate it when people are just acting out
of sheer spite and stupidity."
As if Lindsay Lohan doesn't have enough problems already! Lindsay instructs her lawyer, Mark Heller, to say no more to the judge. Heller continued to talk. Lindsay quietly questions him and then finally says "Oh my god, I'll kill you" (see video below).
Although New York's Heller was scolded by Lindsay's California judgesfor being incompetent when it comes to California law, my guess is that he's a tad more qualified to speak before the judge than is Lindsay. Regardless, I just wanted to share the TMZ video with you.
Heller made a great deal for Lindsay on charges that she lied to a police officer about a car crash, drove
recklessly and violated her probation concerning intertwined shoplifting
and drunken-driving convictions
Lindsay pled no contest to the crimes of reckless driving and lying to
cops. She will be sentenced to 90 days of inpatient rehab, followed by 30 days
of community labor and a year and a half of psychological therapy.
However, she will not have to serve any jail time, assuming she complies
with the terms of the sentence.
Baby you were born this way! In California, we can protect the ones we love by setting up a Domestic Partnership (marriage is a-coming soon). The benefits and responsbilities of a domestic partnership are manyfold and are the subject of another post.
How fabulous would this have been if a domestic partnership could have been realized back in the late 1800s and early 1900s? Check out this video proving that loving relationships date back to way back when (to the tune of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga)
For purposes of this post, though, here are the requirements for setting up your Domestic Partnership (per California Family Code Section 297):
Two Adults
What exactly are Domestic Partners? Two adults who have chosen to share each others' lives in an intimate and committed relationship of mutual caring.
Declaration of Domestic Partnership
Both of you must file a Declaration of Domestic Partnership with the California Secretary of State. Click here for the actual form! The following requirements MUST be met:
Neither of you can be married to someone else or be a member of another domestic partnership that has not been terminated, dissolved, or adjudged a nullity
The two of you cannot be related by blood in a way that would prevent you from being married to each other in California
b. One or both of you are eligible for Social Security per the Social Security Act. Note: Persons of opposite sex may not constitute a domestic partnership unless one or both of the persons are over 62 years of age.
This Is Serious Stuff
Make no mistake. An intimate, loving relationship between a man and a man or a woman and a woman should carry with it the same exact rights as a loving relationship between a man and a woman. We're almost there but, until then, we have Domestic Partnerships in California.
Feel free to call or e-mail me for a free consultation regarding your legal rights in this regard.
