Hi Gitana. I know you're a verified attorney, so your comment about the water request surprised me. Is there some reason you think a witness shouldn't be able to request water or that's somehow disrespectful? Honest question - how was that inappropriate.
Yes. The judge is not a servant of the defendant or anyone else testifying. they are there to dispense justice and must be afforded the highest respect possible. The casual manner in which she addressed the court and then made a demand - "I need some water", not, "Excuse me, is it possible to get some water?" or "May I have some water?" it's ridiculous and very indicative of who she is and how she has no clue how her behavior betrays her.
Well. That makes me breathe easier. I joined this forum because I hold in high esteem those who campaign for the rights of the smallest victims.
It shocks me how easily that sort of thing can be dismissed because of the sentimentality toward the victim.
IMO, there is no "pass" for making jokes about raping children. :furious:
No one is dismissing that sort of thing because of sentimentality toward the victim. They are dismissing it because it was not written by him and it has nothing to do with him. Some friend made a gross and inappropriate statement trying to mess with Travis. It has nothing to do with this case except that it may have given jodi ideas about what next to try to accuse the guy she murdered of.
I found it amazing. I always thought people had to respect the judge and call them "your honor" or some other formal title when talking to them.
I have a question. If it is proven that Nurmi was coaching Jodi with signals from his chair, can he be punished for that? What are the repercussions if he is coaching her what to say?
I did some cursory looks but found no evidence of coaching. He could face sanctions I believe and also contempt.
~bbm
Your honor, Judge or Judge Stevens all are appropriate. If communication has already been established, there's no need to address the judge formally with monikers. So if you've already said, good morning your honor, for example, it's okay to ask a question without repeating the "your honor, etc." part.
To the rest of your post, I don't think Nurmi was coaching. Just reacting in a less than discreet manner. I think he's just sick of Martinez's method of cross.
That's not true. "Judge" is not appropriate. Neither, really is "Judge Stevens", especially by some defendant on the stand.
The judge represents an entity. He or she is "the court". I never even say, "you" to a judge. So, instead of saying, "Well, your honor, the last time we were hear, you ordered x y and z", I say, "Well, your honor, the last time we were here,
the court ordered..."
The judge is not to be viewed as some person we can treat casually. They are to be viewed as a dispassionate arm of the court - not a person but a part of the legal system. They are to be respected.
Now, it is true that some attorneys do say "judge". And in some states that is more common. It is also more likely to happen when an attorney is so familiar with a particular judge after attending bar seminars, mixers, charity events where the judge was speaking or also a guest, and after being in that judge's courtroom for decades. But the best best is to be careful. I heard one attorney call the judge, "judge" several times and finally, the judge flat stopped him: "Excuse me, do not call me "judge" again."
But the point is that jodi treated the court as a servant of hers. She did not say please, she did not say "may" and she appears to believe that the highest authority in the room is supposed to do her bidding and make sure she has water. That was shameful to me.
