Only in America: The self-sentencing judge
A Michigan judge finds himself in contempt of court — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation
A Michigan judge found himself in contempt of court after his cellphone began talking during a trial's closing arguments. The phone began asking for voice-dialing commands, saying, "I can't understand you." The red-faced judge said he bumped the phone by accident, but found himself in contempt and imposed a $25 fine on himself. "If I cannot live by the rules that I enforce,’" he said, "then I have no business enforcing these rules."
A free daily email with the day’s biggest news and analysis – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.