Florida judge brawls with lawyer after warning 'I'll beat your a--'

A Brevard County, Florida, judge reportedly took the law into his own hands Monday when his verbal argument with a public defender turned physical.

During a hearing, Judge John Murphy warned lawyer Andrew Weinstock to "stop pissing me off." Weinstock was either unable or unwilling to do so, prompting Murphy to up the ante: "If you want to fight, let's go out back and I'll just beat your ass."

What followed was not caught on the court's closed-circuit cameras, though Weinstock alleges Murphy started pummeling him as soon as they left the room. (You can hear some scuffling and shouting on the audio.) Alas, the workday was not yet over when the fight ended, so Murphy returned to the room to finish the docket, coolly remarking, "I will catch my breath eventually." --Jon Terbush

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