Judges Gone Wild

Judges, for the most part, are good people who have worked hard to get where they are and believe in a concept known as "Justice" that underlies the laws they interpret and apply in their courtrooms.

There are also those judges, however, who pursue seats on the bench in order to sate their desire for authority and prestige.  These judges can go a little crazy with power sometimes and behave a little unprofessionally, even criminally.

Personally, I love seeing judges act like the insane human creatures that they really are instead of trying to pretend that they're somehow above the petty neuroses and quirks that define the rest of us.  It makes them seem more accessible, more understandable and even - to use a loaded word here - more empathetic. 
Thus, it's been a good week for me so far.  Two judges have been busted behaving badly, although not for anything as serious as New York judge Ronald H. Tills, or District Court Judge Samuel Kent.

The first, County Court Judge Jeffrey L. Marcuzzo of Nebraska, recently received a four month suspension from the Nebraska Supreme Court after leaving an expletive-laced tirade on a prosecutor's voicemail.  The message was a response to the fact that the prosecutor and opposing counsel had agreed, without notifying the judge, to reschedule a preliminary hearing in a criminal case in Marcuzzo's courtroom.

Apparently it wasn't the first time Marcuzzo had sworn at a prosecutor, and the Supreme Court also didn't like the fact that Marcuzzo had tried to intervene in a misdemeanor case against his nephew. 

But that charge is a little too prosaic for my tastes.  Let's see what Judge Marcuzzo left in that voicemail message that got this whole thing started:

I did not appreciate that one f**king bit. And if I find out you ever did that again to me or any other members of the county court bench, I'll shove it up your a** so f**king far it will make your throat hurt.

Pretty tame, right?  Hell, if I could get through a day without having someone go off on me like that, I would consider myself lucky.

Charles County Circuit Court Judge Robert C. Nalley acted, in my opinion, with a little more flair.  When Judge Nalley arrived at the courthouse and found that someone was parked in a spot that he claims was his, he went all Larry David on the offending Toyota and let the air out of its rear passenger tire.  As it turns out, the car belongs to a member of the cleaning staff at the courthouse, and a member of the security team captured the judge in the act on his cellphone camera.

When confronted about the incident, the judge did not back down from his actions.  "'Absolutely, I plead guilty,' said Charles County Circuit Court Judge Robert C. Nalley."

Now, as I said before, judges achieve what they have through intense labor and deserve the perks that accompany their positions.  Plus, anything that's good for Larry David is usually ok in my book. 

But c'mon - it's the cleaning lady!  She empties the trash can in your office and sanitizes the bathroom.  Leave her tires alone.