Cell phone fury

Here's a great story that was posted at blogginstocks.com by Victoria Erhart about cell phones in the courtroom. I say "Yah!" When people are asked to turn off their cell phones, whether it be in a courtroom, a restaurant, movie theatre or wherever and don't comply they need a kick in the ass. It's the same argument as banning smoking in public places. You're infringing on everyone else's rights when you do this. Get with the progrom and take it outside!

When Lake County Indiana Criminal Court Judge Diane Boswell demands order in her court, you better believe she means it. Frustrated by repeated disturbances from cell phones ringing during proceedings, Judge Boswell demanded to know who the guilty parties were. When the offenders seated in a row designated for court visitors did not speak up, Judge Boswell ordered the entire row of visitors to serve detention in chairs usually reserved for jail inmates. The visitors had to sit there until morning court was completed. Then Judge Boswell began to dispense justice.

Judge Boswell fined a woman on disability $100 for failure to silence her phone. She ordered a man to serve 40 hours community service because he was one of the offenders but did not speak up promptly when Her Honor first inquired. Judge Boswell even fined the woman sitting next to this man 40 hours of community service because she didn't rat the guy out. The moral of this AP press release: Don't bring your cell phone to Judge Boswel's court.

This is not the first case of judges throwing the book at cellphone users in court. In July, U.S. District Court Judge Wiliam Shubb swept down off his bench in search of the offending cell phone ring. Finding the phone in the hands of a older woman, Judge Shubb took the phone, opened the court room door and threw the cell phone into the hallway. He then ordered his marshals to confiscate every cell phone in the court room.

There seems to be an immediate need for Motorola, Apple or Cingular to supply non-offensive ringtones. Maybe the theme to Judge Judy's show?