Public defender quits after spat with judge

[Cyber Liberty]

Public defender quits after spat with judge

DAVE HAWKINS, Special to the Daily News
Jan 29, 2020

KINGMAN —  A Mohave County public defender resigned his position five days after he was found in contempt of court and fined by Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert.

Lambert and indigent defense attorney Jamie Askar engaged in a unique and somewhat heated exchange between hearings on Jan. 16. County Human Resources said Askar was hired last August and resigned Jan. 21.

Askar confirmed he resigned under threat of dismissal if he did not step down.

Lambert first fined Askar $100 before he twice increased the sanction and asked the lawyer if he’d like to go to jail. The following edited hearing excerpts show the skirmish began when Lambert denied Askar’s request for a three-minute delay.

Lambert: No. You may not. You made my court late 30 minutes today and now we have a 10:30 (hearing). You’re late for that and then you want three minutes past that, so the answer is no.

Askar: If you’re going to be rude to me like that, as a consequence, can we continue it? If you want to do that, that’s fine.

<<Snip>>

More!  http://www.mohavedailynews.com/news/public-defender-quits-after-spat-with-judge/article_9d88d964-4321-11ea-9a76-fbebb37af1a3.html

=========================================

I pondered putting this in Ridiculous Stories, but this is just life in my little County.  Read the whole transcript, it's hysterical.  @mountaineer you'll get a kick....

[PeteS in CA]

If I understand correctly, Askar showed up for court 30 minutes late, asked for a 3 minute delay, and when fined, called the judge rude. Traffic must've been awful on I-40 or US95, .

[Cyber Liberty]

If I understand correctly, Askar showed up for court 30 minutes late, asked for a 3 minute delay, and when fined, called the judge rude. Traffic must've been awful on I-40 or US95, .

Worse, he copped a 'tude on the Judge, claiming the Judge "disrespected him."  What is that, a version of inmate lingo or something?  He has a period of time to pay the $1,000 or get sent to jail on a Contempt charge, with $1,000 plus court costs purge fee.

It's a small county, the Judge had to know this clown.  All the PDs face him at one time or another.

[PeteS in CA]

Worse, he copped a 'tude on the Judge, claiming the Judge "disrespected him."  ...

Like the lawyer didn't "disrespect" the judge and the entire court by being half an hour late?                

[Cyber Liberty]

Like the lawyer didn't "disrespect" the judge and the entire court by being half an hour late?                

Being a Lawyer provides no immunity from being a dumb-ass.

[mountaineer]

He whined to the judge, "If you’re going to be rude to me like that ..." 
Seriously, is this lawyer 12 years old?

[PeteS in CA]

Being a Lawyer provides no immunity from being a dumb-ass.

Sometimes I think lawyer is one of the preferred career choices of dumb-asses.

[mountaineer]

I once worked with an out-of-town lawyer on a case during my (thankfully) brief experience with a personal injury firm. He was obnoxious, arrogant and insufferable. It didn't surprise me to hear a few years later that a judge in his home city sentenced him to six months in jail for contempt when the lawyer dropped an f-bomb in court. Then the guy had the nerve to try to hire another lawyer to sue the judge for a civil rights violation over the contempt case - and then (unsuccessfully) sue that lawyer for malpractice when he didn't file such a frivolous suit.