"Kitten Zoom Filter Mishap"

[UPDATE: Great comment thread; Cal Cetin wins with, "Who's a pretty little kitty? Does kitty want an injunction?”]

https://twitter.com/JudgeFergusonTX/status/1359202090824966151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1359202090824966151%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vice.com%2Fen%2Farticle%2Fqjpmgp%2Fi-am-not-a-cat-lawyer-using-zoom-cat-filter-tells-judge

UPDATE: Whoops, just saw that Josh beat me to it. But now there's a comment, our bot has Tweeted both, and the posts are short, so we'll just leave them both up.

Comments

[Syd Henderson]

So does the kitten have to pay the fine for recording the session?

[santamonica811]

There’s gotta be a joke here about the kitten hitting the paws button.

[MatthewSlyfield]

CTR-ALT-CP*

*Cutie-Pie.

[Cal Cetín]

“Whose a pretty little kitty? Does kitty want an injunction?”

[TwelveInchPianist]

I could swear I’ve seen that cat around here before…

[AmosArch]

If whoever leaked the video is going to break the rules can’t they have the decency to post a longer clip?

[TwelveInchPianist]

It appears that the court released the video, just for educational purposes about zoom pitfalls, and strictly not to be used to mock any lawyers involved.

Of course, I wouldn’t say no to a post on the constitutionality of the restriction of recording a public livestream, if anyone were so inclined.

[arclements]

The best I’ve seen so far (can’t take personal credit for it):

“Abogato.”

The attorney involved is an elected prosecutor (Presidio County Attorney).

[santamonica811]

That’s hysterical. (You have to have a tiny bit of Spanish language to get it–which is exactly how much I happen to have–but it did make me laugh out loud.)

[tkamenick]

Yeah I’d love to see an analysis of that.

And a broader discussion of why judges are so ridiculously afraid of being video taped. Every court in Wisconsin immediately deletes their archived Youtube videos after a livestream. Open record requests for conversations among the judiciary about it showed some judges expressing fears that they would be taken out of context, fears that the videos would be used to attack the accuracy of court reporter transcripts (UMMMMM…..) and fears that people would alter the videos. All really stupid fears and nothing that makes them different than any other elected official (in Wisconsin, by law, people have the right to videotape all government meetings, for example).

[Schroeder4213]

Ceci n’est pas un chat.

[loki13]

Lawyer: All right meow. I’m ready to start the hearing. I am here on Defendant’s Motion to dismiss. Because the hearing is set for only 15 minutes, I will hurry up meow.

Judge : Sorry. (laughs a little)

Lawyer: Is there something funny judge?

Judge : Oh, no.

Lawyer: Then why you laughing, your honor?

[pause]

Lawyer: All right meow, where were we?

Judge: Excuse me, are you saying meow?

Lawyer: Am I saying meow?

Judge : I thought…

Lawyer : Of course not. Meow, do you know why the Complaint needs to be dismissed?

[Judge laughs]

Lawyer: Meow. What is so damn funny?

Judge: I could have sworn you said meow.

Lawyer: Do I look like a cat to you, you honor? Am I jumpin’ around all nimbly bimbly from tree to tree?

[Judge is gut-busting laughing]

Judge: … yes. Yes you do.

[VinniUSMC]

That movie never gets old. Good choice.

[Kevin Smith]

I like how he felt the need to specify that he was not a cat

[David Nieporent]

I like how he said that he was prepared to proceed as a cat.

[santamonica811]

David,
If he didn’t have funds, would that be ‘in forma pawperis?’

[santamonica811]

“If I may direct your honor to the second claws in the contract…”

[Bored Lawyer]

This is clearly a case of felinious identity theft.

[santamonica811]

🙂

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

And that’s still not as embarrassing as “pulling a Toobin”.

[arclements]

The best I’ve seen so far (can’t take personal credit for it):

“Abogato.”

The attorney involved is an elected prosecutor (Presidio County Attorney).

[arclements]

Professor Volokh, you might be interested to be reminded that the attorney involved was the subject of one of your posts from 2014, regarding a Federal magistrate judge’s terms and conditions of pretrial release:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/05/21/arrestee-alleges-government-misconduct-federal-magistrate-orders-arrestee-to-apologize-and-recant-as-a-condition-of-bail/

In addition to that situation, Mr. Ponton represented Henry Lee Lucas in El Paso back in ’86. (The defense team was able to get that particular murder charge dismissed, which was part of the sequence of events demonstrating his false confessions to many murders.)

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/12/16/henry-lee-lucas-murder-charges-dropped-el-paso/4413746002/

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Cal Cetin is on quite a roll.

Several Noble Prizes, as I recall, and now a ‘great comment’ win from Prof. Volokh.

Congratulations, Cal Cetin!

[tkamenick]

Is the judge a ventriloguist? I swear his mouth isn’t moving at all while he’s speaking during this video.

[DaivdBehar]

Reporting of shocking lawyer prosecutorial misconduct by Reason in this case.

https://reason.com/2021/02/10/zoom-cat-lawyer-rod-ponton-used-federal-agents-to-torment-former-lover-drug-raids-bogus-charges/