Courtroom Stories - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Judge Kenton Skarin, like most lawyers who have appeared in courtrooms regularly, has many “court stories” to share.

Sitting in a courtroom every day, you see all kinds of things.

Some are funny. Others are gross, sad, or scary. All make up the business of running a busy court.

Funny vignettes stand out.

I remember the interpreter who was a bit off in his choice of words—he kept referring to me as “Your Highness.” The respect for the system was well-meaning. It made us all grin.

There also was the individual who wrecked an in-law’s classic sports car. Thanksgiving was going to be awkward in that family.

Or the defendant who pled, “Oh, SUPER guilty, your honor.” He was earnest, honest, and owning up to a mistake.

But courts mostly deal with problems, so pathos is more common.

In many of our courtrooms, the final row of chairs in the public gallery runs right along the back wall. People have leaned back for decades, leaving a black smudge at head level.

Any imaginable medical problem can and does happen in court.

I have seen people bleeding, throwing up, wetting themselves in court. The court personnel are wonderful; they never complain. They keep the courthouse functioning.

People experiencing mental health episodes have screamed profanities at me on the bench. It’s obvious that there is a medical issue. So we care for the person in trouble and then get the courtroom running smoothly again.

I’ve interacted with sovereign citizens, who confidently assert that they, as individuals, are nation states who do not recognize any other authority and need not follow society’s rules.

Occasionally, cases end because litigants die.

Some waste away with cancer. Others pass suddenly from substance abuse or heart attacks. Each is a shock because they usually were in court just a few weeks previously.

But most cases are not so dramatic.

I’ve seen thousands upon thousands of my fellow citizens, parents, construction workers, teachers, doctors, bankers, students, plumbers, retirees, mechanics. I’ve even had the occasional sports star or celebrity.

Every judge, lawyer, deputy, clerk, and courthouse has stories.

They are the kaleidoscope of years in court.

P.S. What strange things have you seen in court?

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