via
Reddit)
Judges
hold
ultimate
power
in
their
courtrooms,
but
the
eternal
question
is
will
they
wield
that
power
as
an
enlightened
monarch
—
tempered
by
humility
and
a
keen
sense
of
their
role
as
a
public
servant,
a
living
avatar
of
the
nation’s
sense
of
justice
—
or
more
like
mall
cop
with
a
bazooka
and
qualified
immunity.
When
it’s
the
latter,
that’s
when
you
end
up
with
judges
handcuffing
children
and
putting
on
a
show
of
brutally
punishing
defendants
and
berating
attorneys.
Over
the
weekend,
Judge
Nathan
J.
Milliron
of
the
215th
Civil
District
Court
in
Harris
County,
Texas,
garnered
some
notoriety
when
video
of
his
courtroom
interaction
with
an
IT
support
worker
started
circulating
around
the
internet.
The
setup:
Milliron
experienced
some
kind
of
audio
issue
in
his
courtroom.
An
IT
worker
came
to
investigate.
The
IT
worker
—
doing
his
actual
job
—
determined
there
was
no
problem
and
described
it
as
a
“false
alarm.”
And
Judge
Milliron
lost
it.
After
the
support
worker
found
there
was
no
problem
and
called
it
a
false
alarm,
the
normal,
grounded
response
would
be
something
like
“yeah,
I
don’t
know
what
happened,
but
thank
you.”
Instead
Judge
Milliron
protested
the
characterization
and
became
even
more
agitated
when
the
IT
worker
revised
it
to
a
“false
negative.”
Honestly,
you’ve
got
to
appreciate
the
restraint
to
not
say,
“the
problem
was
a
loose
nut
behind
the
keyboard.”
The
judge
orders
the
IT
worker
to
“get
out
of
my
courtroom,”
then
goes
full
Judge
Karen
and
asks
his
staff
to
find
the
technician’s
supervisor.
As
he
stews,
you
can
hear
him
mumbling
that
he’s
“sick
of
this
bullshit.”
Apparently,
insufficient
deference
in
delivering
good
news
is
grounds
for
professional
discipline.
The
frustrating
thing
about
a
tech
problem
is
that
most
of
the
time,
there
is
no
problem.
Once
you
call
IT,
the
gremlins
magically
disappear,
leaving
you
holding
the
bag
in
front
of
an
expert.
But
just
being
frustrating,
is
not
a
reason
to
start
daydreaming
about
putting
the
staff
in
solitary.
This
is
what
happens
when
someone
confuses
a
courtroom
with
a
personal
kingdom.
The
IT
worker
didn’t
say
“hey
dummy,
it’s
working
fine”
or
“the
secret
is
being
at
least
10
percent
smarter
than
the
piece
of
equipment.”
A
“false
alarm”
is
a
perfectly
professional
way
of
describing
the
situation.
It’s
possible
that
the
judge
was
just
having
a
bad
day
and
this
is
an
uncharacteristic
slice
of
his
life
that
he
regrets.
On
the
other
hand,
Judge
Milliron’s
social
media
presence
suggests
he’s
enjoys
cultivating
a
reputation
for
lashing
out
at
people
from
the
bench.
On
his
Facebook
page
—
where
he’s
identified
as
a
“Digital
Creator”
—
he’s
got
a
courtroom
video
compiled
by
Court
Disorder
and
starring
himself
with
the
title
“Judge
Sanctions
Attorney
THOUSANDS
Then
Throws
Him
Out!“
Apparently,
“get
out
of
my
courtroom”
is
a
bit
of
a
catchphrase
for
the
judge.
Was
it
appropriate
for
the
judge
to
sanction
this
lawyer?
I
don’t
know.
But
I
do
know
celebrating
the
sanction
by
posting
a
video
on
social
media
with
captioned
commentary
like
“Yikes!”
and
“Oh
Sht!~”
is
not
appropriate.
And
arrayed
next
to
this
IT
interaction,
it
raises
serious
questions
about
temperament.
Also,
not
for
nothing,
the
optics
of
a
white
Republican
judge
constantly
featured
lashing
out
at
minorities
—
as
both
the
IT
worker
and
the
sanctioned
lawyer
appear
to
be
—
is
not
lost
on
folks.
There
was
also
a
social
media
post
several
months
ago
calling
upon
the
Texas
State
Commission
on
Judicial
Conduct
to
open
an
investigation
into
the
judge,
alleging
“unprofessional,
nasty,
and
degrading
communications
toward
Harris
County
Clerk’s
Office
staff”
that
“were
not
only
unbecoming
of
a
judge,
but
a
direct
violation
of
the
standards
of
dignity,
respect,
and
impartiality
required
of
the
bench.”
Not
an
encouraging
set
of
circumstances
for
anyone
hoping
to
give
the
judge
the
benefit
of
the
doubt
on
his
IT
escapades.
Judges
who
act
like
tin-pot
dictators
in
their
courtrooms
tell
themselves
they’re
maintaining
decorum,
but
they’re
actually
undermining
it.
This
comes
across
as
full
clown
show.
Given
the
power
that
judges
command,
the
public
needs
to
see
someone
exercising
a
deep
sense
of
humility
and
respect
for
others.
Milliron
won
his
judgeship
by
roughly
304
votes
out
of
over
1.4
million
cast
—
how
is
that
not
humbling?
For
all
the
authority
afforded
judges
to
run
their
little
fiefdoms,
the
courtroom
belongs
to
the
public
and
the
judge
is
a
mere
custodian,
not
its
king.
And
certainly
not
its
“digital
creator.”
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
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