IconoclasT wrote: ] A Rutherford County General Sessions judge fined himself ] during court Thursday when his cellular phone sounded off, a ] violation of court rules. ] ] Judge Christopher Coats was wrapping up court Thursday in ] Smyrna when his phone sounded off, according to Terry ] Davenport, the city's court clerk. Under court rules, cellular ] phones and pagers must be turned off in the courtroom. If they ] ring, their owners can be charged with contempt of court. ] ] ''He (Coats) looked very amazed and turned a little ] red-faced'' when the device sounded, Davenport said. ''He ] said, 'I should know better.' '' ] Coats found himself in contempt of court and doubled the $5 ] fine the charge carries, the clerk said. ] ] On Friday, Davenport said the judge had already paid the $10 ] fine. The offense wasn't serious enough to impact Coats' ] judgeship beyond the fine, Davenport said. That is awesome. A judge who finds himself not to be above the law. RE: Judge fines himself for letting cell phone ring |