'Cocky' Defendant Gets A Web Redemption
from the video-solves-all dept
A few weeks ago, a young woman named Penelope Soto became an internet legend after she was caught on camera flipping a Florida judge the bird and telling him to go f**k himself during a court proceeding. Soto’s behavior earned her a 30-day stint in jail for contempt of court, but she apparently changed her ways at a later hearing and convinced the judge to vacate the month-long sentence.
But not all mouthy defendants are so lucky. Some of them do go to jail. Take, for example, the case of Brian Noval, a Florida man who in 2009 called a judge a c*ck — twice. Why do all of these things happen in Florida? Anyway, Noval’s antics were captured on film, and he earned himself 120 days in the pokey for his indiscretions. Noval only served four days of that sentence before the judge decided that this cocky defendant had learned his lesson.
As we all know, the internet is for porn, but it’s also for wonderful videos like these. And thanks to Daniel Tosh of Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, sometimes the stars of embarrassing viral videos are given the chance to redeem themselves on cable television. Ms. Soto hasn’t been given the opportunity to participate in one of these yet, but Noval was featured on the show last night.
For reasons that escape me, we never covered Noval’s incident in 2009, but now that he’s been brought back into the pop culture limelight, we’ve got some funny videos to entertain you with….
We’ll give you some info on the judge who heard Brian Noval’s case before you watch the video. Apparently Judge John Hurley of the Broward County Court presides over its first appearance division, and is known for his “spunk, one-liners and, on Fridays, bow ties.” To put it differently, this man is not to be f**ked with.
But Noval didn’t know that, so he called Judge Hurley a c*ck, like any man with common decency and respect for the judicial system would. And plus, it’s Florida — of course someone would think it’s acceptable to call a judge a c*ck in Florida. And without further ado, here’s the entertaining segment from Tosh.0:
Well, you don’t have to be wearing a seersucker suit to acknowledge that Daniel Tosh is correct when he says that “judges are basically parents for people who have sh*tty ones.” And we now know that Andrew Dice Clay could have a promising career ahead of himself as a criminal defense attorney. Because with a closing like, “Hickory dickory dock, my client has the right to call that judge a c*ck,” how can you possibly go wrong?
Broward judge sets high bar [Sun Sentinel]
Web Redemption – Courtroom C*ck Guy [Tosh.0]
More stories from Above The Law:
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Filed Under: brian noval, courtroom, insults, web
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Da Courts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9j03q1_-YQ
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** fires up free US VPN **
Internet: 0, Me: 1
Take that you cocks
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HA! Mike takes his "At the Bench" series to ridiculous levels!
Take a loopy tour of Techdirt.com! You always end up at same place!
http://techdirt.com/
Mike Masnick, the economist with the soul of a lawyer. Watch for his "At The Bench" series.
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Re: HA! Mike takes his "At the Bench" series to ridiculous levels!
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Tosh?
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actually, the lesson should be...
no, the lesson is, that judges are running unchecked fiefdoms where they can get away with 'contemptible' shit; whether a poor, ignorant, possibly screwed-over, unappealing defendant is slapped upside the head for having the temerity to treat the judge like a fellow human being who is no better than them; or imposing a personal or overtly political agenda to enforce THEIR views, regardless of the law...
whether it is 10 commandment plaques on courthouse steps, or other patently un-constitutional bullshit; judges are NOT *OUR* arbiters of justice, they are owned by The System...
(and we li'l peeps ain't invited...)
there are few-to-no judges who are NOT part of The System, and they will defend that system to the detriment of the people...
even though we have elections for some levels of judge, they are pretty much appointed to the position by the 'legal community'...
the votes are almost 70-80-90% to retain judges; which is why i always vote 'no' on retaining *any* of them... i want my little vote to -eventually- tally with enough that we put some fear back in them, where they *must* respond to our viewpoints...
(probably not in my lifetime...)
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
eof
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argh
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Much is made of the (fallacy?) that we don't have sharia law (of dress codes) on the books. However. Has anyone tried to ware a bandanna, headband or t-shirt with a peace sign on it into a courtroom? Ever see a congressman on the Senate floor in khakis? If you are dark skinned and wearing a hoodie what kind of untoward profiling does that get you?
Minimum is the requirement that you wear your 'Sunday best' to the courtroom. There are whole charity programs that loan suits and ties to the unfortunate ones who cannot afford bail and thus show up in court in prison drags. Its a shame that appearances mean so much. A suit and tie is one of your best unspoken defenses. (along with your lawyer)
On the other hand maintaining some level of decorum in the courtroom is important. Just imagine the prosecution and defendant attorneys professional level pranks if a judge did not thrash them thoroughly on a daily basis. (the motion is rescinded!) it is impossible to underestimate the (the effects of) outright acting and posturing capable by an experienced, in the courtroom, attorney.
In some ways a judge is looking for your awareness of the severity of a 'legitimate' complaint brought against you and that you will take seriously the procedures of the court itself. (released on your own recognizance is a great example that the judge recognizes, that you recognize, this) Flipping off, and cussing out, the judge, however seemingly appropriate, does not breed respect.
Even I have cussed in the courtroom (luckily not noticed) about some ridiculous prank of the prosecution (of a ticket) that the judge went along with. (3 continuations for an officer who did not show and when he did purgered himself so badly the judge threw it out less than 2 minuets into the case). Never was I more embarrassed of anything in my life. (had pictures and diagrams)
Please note, that so far, I have spoken only of the procedures and perceptions of those procedures in the courtroom. Not irrelevant are the laws being enforced themselves. Are they just and proper? (Hint, hint: copyright law abuse)
On incumbent judges and politicians its tempting to say just vote um out. However we really need a way to identify good ones from bad ones. How a judge differentiates between a rich and spoiled brat or fellow judge (or son or daughter of a judge) or police chief and a poor homeless person with only a public defender is of note. It would be healthy if your local newspaper reporter would measure this.
It would be more healthy if we voted on this intelligently.
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http://www.wtsp.com/video/1054896966001/0/Polk-deputies-break-up-prostitution-ring-using -teenage-girls
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Re:
The damage of even a single arrest can get you fired from, not just a sensitive government or related job, but even a regular bonded cashier (at a convenience store) job. Read how arrest records are abused. What is life in the gutter anyway?
Related is how we are aware of the individual habits of who we elect. How do we differeciate between a good candidate and a bad one? How a judge treats politically connected accused from a homeless person (familly?) is notable.
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If you're going to spam us with links, the least you could do is make sure they actually work.
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