Judge Attacks Public Defender

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**Ahtman**

Source

A fight between a judge and a public defender broke out in a courtroom in Brevard County Florida on Monday.

Judge John Murphy was allegedly trying to get public defender Andrew Weinstock to waive his client’s right to a speedy trial.

Video footage shows Murphy telling Weinstock, “You know, if I had a rock I would throw it at you right now. Stop pissing me off. Just sit down.” Weinstock responds, “You know I’m the public defender. I have a right to be here and I have a right to stand and represent my client.”

Murphy then invites Weinstock to go out to a hallway in the back so they could settle their dispute with fists. Murphy is heard saying, “If you want to fight, let’s go out back and I’ll just beat your ass.”

Public defender Blaise Trettis said Weinstock thought Murphy just wanted to talk, but was unpleasantly surprised. Trettis told WFTV, “The attorney said that immediately upon entering the hallway he was grabbed by the collar and began to be struck. There was no discussion, no talk, not even time for anything. Just as soon as they’re in the hallway, the attorney was grabbed.”

Deputies broke up the fight and Murphy went right back into the courtroom and finished up. Murphy was not charged with anything, but the incident will be reported to the Florida Bar Association.

Must be nice to threaten and assault people in public and not get charged with anything.

**motyak**

The judge should have fired 2 quick punches into the defender's nose, but paused before he did so to say 'double wammy'.

**Dreadclaw69**

Florida. Anyone else surprised?

**LordofHats**

Someday some sociologist or political scientist is gonna do a survey to try and account for all our insane judges who get away with being insane. I fear the number will be uncomfortably high.

**Kilkrazy**

Is Florida one of the places where the judges are elected by popular vote?

**Dreadclaw69**

Kilkrazy wrote:
Is Florida one of the places where the judges are elected by popular vote?

Evidently trial by combat

**Chaos Legionnaire**

The judges here are at least retained by popular vote.

This may have, therefore, been a brilliant political move on the judges part. The inhabitants of the courtroom, at least, seemed to heartily approve.

We do things differently here in Florida...

**kronk**

Dreadclaw69 wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:
Is Florida one of the places where the judges are elected by popular vote?

Evidently trial by combat

Finally a reason to watch CSPAN!

**squidhills**

I suspect the judge will get away with it. He openly invited the lawyer out back to fight him, in front of a room full of witnesses. Fighting someone isn't a crime when both parties agree to it (hence why boxing matches don't end in arrests for battery). By inviting the lawyer to a fistfight outside, and by the lawyer going outside (acceptence of the invitation) the judge will easily be able to argue that the altercation was agreed to by both parties.

Yeah, the lawyer can claim no reasonable person would have expected a fist fight to actually break out, but then, a reasonable person would expect a discussion between a judge and an attorney to take place in the judge's chambers, rather than outside the courtroom in a hallway. If the place for discussion is the back room and the judge invites you to a butt-kickin' out in the hall, it is not reasonable to go out into the hall expecting to have a discussion...

**Frazzled**

Ahtman wrote:
Source

A fight between a judge and a public defender broke out in a courtroom in Brevard County Florida on Monday.

Judge John Murphy was allegedly trying to get public defender Andrew Weinstock to waive his client’s right to a speedy trial.

Video footage shows Murphy telling Weinstock, “You know, if I had a rock I would throw it at you right now. Stop pissing me off. Just sit down.” Weinstock responds, “You know I’m the public defender. I have a right to be here and I have a right to stand and represent my client.”

Murphy then invites Weinstock to go out to a hallway in the back so they could settle their dispute with fists. Murphy is heard saying, “If you want to fight, let’s go out back and I’ll just beat your ass.”

Public defender Blaise Trettis said Weinstock thought Murphy just wanted to talk, but was unpleasantly surprised. Trettis told WFTV, “The attorney said that immediately upon entering the hallway he was grabbed by the collar and began to be struck. There was no discussion, no talk, not even time for anything. Just as soon as they’re in the hallway, the attorney was grabbed.”

Deputies broke up the fight and Murphy went right back into the courtroom and finished up. Murphy was not charged with anything, but the incident will be reported to the Florida Bar Association.

Must be nice to threaten and assault people in public and not get charged with anything.

yep.

My disdain for judges is really really high, based on personal experience.

**Ahtman**

squidhills wrote:
Fighting someone isn't a crime when both parties agree to it

Under very limited conditions such as competitions/sporting events with the presence of trainers and referees, not in most others. If you have a fight outside of Denny's you will still both be arrested even if you both agreed to it.

**Frazzled**

Ahtman you're full of it. Lets take this outside!

**Jihadin**

Hmmm...assault weapon vs shotgun...

**Ouze**

motyak wrote:The judge should have fired 2 quick punches into the defender's nose, but paused before he did so to say 'double wammy'.

Dreadclaw69 wrote:Evidently trial by combat

I knew this thread would be good, and I was not disappointed.

Unfortunately, in these barbaric times, we no longer do trial by combat.

Anyway, it must be nice to be able to assault someone, and then sit in judgment of people, some of which are accused of the crime of what you just did (consequence free).

I suspect even for Florida he's going to lose his seat, though.

**Jihadin**

Its a blood sucking lawyer though....

**-Shrike-**

Well, he certainly took the law into his own hands.

**Jihadin**

Well, he certainly took the law into his own hands.

*CSI song*

**hotsauceman1**

Jihadin wrote:
Its a blood sucking lawyer though....

It is a public defendent.

**Jihadin**

Its still a blood sucking lawyer

**Ahtman**

Frazzled wrote:
Ahtman you're full of it. Lets take this outside!

Ok, but just because I think you want to talk*.

Spoiler:

**jasper76**

Not surprising....Florida.

To anyone who doesn't know, visiting Disneyland is nice and all, but Florida is VERY loose with the death penalty. And you may just end up in front of a judge like this...

A state best avoided.

**LordofHats**

Everyone knows lawyers sleep in a coffin to minimize their exposure to the sunlight.

**kronk**

jasper76 wrote:
Not surprising....Florida.

To anyone who doesn't know, visiting Disneyland is nice and all, but Florida is VERY loose with the death penalty. And you may just end up in front of a judge like this...

A state best avoided.

Disneyland is CA. Disneyworld is FL. Disney on Ice is CRAP!

**jasper76**

thx for the correction...its been a while.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
here's a video:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2014/06/03/mxp-florida-judge-and-public-defender-altercation.cnn&hpt=hp_t2&from_homepage=yes&video_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F#/video/us/2014/06/03/mxp-florida-judge-and-public-defender-altercation.cnn

**kronk**

Yeah, that judge won't be judging much longer, I think.

**Frazzled**

LordofHats wrote:
Everyone knows lawyers sleep in a coffin to minimize their exposure to the sunlight.

I know I do. It was all fine until the wife moved in and started redecorating my mancoffin.

**-Shrike-**

kronk wrote:
Yeah, that judge won't be judging much longer, I think.

Nonsense! We need someone to maintain order in Megacity One...

**kronk**

? What's Megacity One?

Also, just send in Frazzled. He'll clean house.

**squidhills**

Ahtman wrote:
squidhills wrote:
Fighting someone isn't a crime when both parties agree to it

Under very limited conditions such as competitions/sporting events with the presence of trainers and referees, not in most others. If you have a fight outside of Denny's you will still both be arrested even if you both agreed to it.

Depending on local statutes, that may be true. However, according to my Criminal Justice professor, common law broadly allows for mutually consentual (non-lethal) combat.

Also, as in your example, you wouldn't be arrested outside the Denny's for battery, you would be arrested for disturbing the peace or public nuisance. Only your opponent could have you charged with battery, and by concenting to the combat, he would have waived his right to do so.

Again, according to CJ-101. I'm not pretending to be a lawyer, but I have had some schoolin' on this.

**Ouze**

kronk wrote:
? What's Megacity One?

It's where this judge belongs, along with