Chicago girl jailed over shirt worn in court.

[kb4ns]

[mikegideon]

Uh Huh

[Guest Jamie]

Asking her to remove it or asking her to leave would have done the job.

No no no no... No where in there do I wanna see THAT without a shirt.

J.

[Guest Jamie]

Uh Huh

I take it you two aren't having fun anymore?

J.

[kb4ns]

No no no no... No where in there do I wanna see THAT without a shirt. :eek:

Can I get an "amen"??

[kb4ns]

I take it you two aren't having fun anymore?

[Guest oldsmobile98]

OK, I didn't mean that literally. I meant turning it inside out.

Sorry, I wanted to have a kick at the dead horse. Everybody else got to!

But I'll shut up now, at least on this thread.

[Guest Jamie]

Kick away, Oldsmobile98.

The only people you're really gonna disturb are the ones that take this way too seriously.

J.

[mikegideon]

I take it you two aren't having fun anymore?

J.

It ain't that hard. Skankolicious showed total disrespect for the court by just walking in the door with that shirt. The judge had every right to charge her with contempt right on the spot (but I'm guessing there's more to it). Jail is commonly the result of a contempt charge. I've spent enough time in a courtroom to understand what kind of behavior they all DEMAND.

Don't poke the bear. It's that simple.

[Guest Jamie]

Well, some of 'em aren't quite brick walls, but they are pretty close.

Besides, I think it's kind'a funny to see just how screwed-up human thinking can get sometimes.

( Let's see just how long my 1st amendment rights hold up here... )

J.

Edited May 8, 2010 by Jamie

[kb4ns]

The only people you're really gonna disturb are the ones that take this way too seriously.

Exactly. Nothing like some good ole fashioned discussion to keep you thinking on your toes!

[DaveTN]

It seems there is Illinois case law on this.

firstamendmentcenter.org: commentary

The Chicago Tribune has reported that a Lake County, Ill., judge sentenced 20-year-old Jennifer LaPenta to two days in jail for contempt for wearing an inappropriate T-shirt in court.

According to the order issued earlier this week by Lake County Associate Judge Helen Rozenberg, LaPenta sat in the front row of the courtroom, wearing a T-shirt that read: “I have the ***** so I make the rules.†The Tribune reported that LaPenta had accompanied a friend who needed to settle some traffic tickets at the courthouse. Soon after LaPenta was seated in the courtroom, the paper said, Rozenberg summoned her to the front and questioned her about the shirt.

LaPenta told the newspaper that she offered to remove the T-shirt but the judge said it was too late and ordered her to jail.

A similar situation occurred more than 30 years ago in another Illinois courtroom involving a then-19-year-old Sue Watts, who wore a T-shirt that read “Bitch, Bitch†in 5-inch letters. The Stephenson County court judge sentenced her to three days in jail for the vulgar shirt, saying: “You’re not very lady-like wearing that on the street, I don’t think. … It is a vulgarity. It borders on obscenity and it impinges on the dignity of the court.â€

On appeal, the Illinois appeals court reversed the trial judge’s three-day contempt sentence, finding that the judge failed to act reasonably. In In Re Watts (1978), the court said “contempt requires some form of constructive or actual knowledge of what conduct is forbidden in order that people can avoid such conduct.â€

The appeals court explained that Watts’ shirt was “not proper courtroom attire†but noted that she was “not given a reasonable opportunity to alter her behavior.â€

A key question is whether LaPenta was given an opportunity to replace her T-shirt. If she was not, the actions of the judge become questionable.

[mikegideon]

It seems there is Illinois case law on this.

firstamendmentcenter.org: commentary

Interesting. In the first case, the shirt was in poor taste, but Skanko's met the accepted definition of obscenity. Under the law, it could bring a $500,000 fine if said on the radio or TV. That may not matter, but it's a distinct difference.

If strickj was right all along, I guess some of us owe him some beer

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I still say she got what she deserved. Too many idiots like her walking the streets.

[mikegideon]

I still say she got what she deserved. Too many idiots like her walking the streets.

Agree

[Guest Jamie]

It seems there is Illinois case law on this.

In Re Watts (1978), the court said “contempt requires some form of constructive or actual knowledge of what conduct is forbidden in order that people can avoid such conduct.â€

I think the difference here is going to be that LaSkank admitted she knew the shirt was inappropriate.

J.