A Michigan defense attorney landed in hot water during a recent hearing when a judge known for grumpy outbursts reprimanded him for forgetting his manners in court.
The unidentified attorney broke courtroom protocol by arguing directly with prosecutors during an objection, making him the latest in a steady stream of courtroom dramas involving Washtenaw County Judge J. Cedric Simpson, known for his irascible temperament on the bench.
“Don’t play with me,” Simpson warned in a fatherly tone after the attorney stepped out of line during proceedings last month.
Simpson, who has gained social media fame over the past year for his zero-tolerance approach and fiery reprimands against defendants who dare to challenge his authority, delivered another outburst during a videotaped court session from August that has since gone viral on YouTube.
However, this time, it was a lawyer who faced the wrath of the testy judge after he fired off a rebuttal directly at the prosecutor instead of addressing the bench as required.
This broached an unspoken rule, as attorneys are expected to address the judge, not each other, during formal objections to maintain decorum in the proceedings.
Given the context of the arguments, the case before Simpson revolved around a domestic dispute concerning a family’s living arrangements, including the eviction of the defense attorney’s client, which somehow evolved into a criminal matter.
The specifics of the case and the identities of the key players aside from Simpson remain murky.
As the defense pressed the witness on whether she had offered financial help during her mother’s struggles to pay rent, the prosecutor objected, citing relevance.
Judge Simpson then asked the defense attorney to explain it.
“The financial motive to lie, your honor,” he answered before going further. “What winds up happening is, my client was allowed to move in with his mother, and they pushed him out …”
As the defense attorney continued rationalizing his examination of the facts, the prosecutor began speaking over him to clarify her own point to the judge.
This led the defense lawyer to pivot away from Simpson to argue directly with the prosecutor. “Well, you asked for the objection!” he snapped, which immediately ignited Simpson’s fury.
“No! No, you address me, counsel,” the judge roared. “That’s the way we play it here.”
Suddenly, on the spot, the defense attorney found himself on the wrong side of Simpson’s high standards. He attempted to backtrack, humbly saying, “Your Honor, I am addressing—” but Simpson swiftly cut him off, refusing to let him finish: “No, you address me!”
The courtroom fell silent as a still lake as everyone sensed the attorney was in deep trouble with Simpson, who appeared agitated, leaning forward in his seat.
“I am addressing the court, your honor,” the lawyer said respectfully.
But Judge Simpson remained in his element. “Do not do that again,” he said, enunciating each word for maximum clarity.
“Respond to objection?” the defense lawyer asked, attempting to play clever with Judge Simpson.
“Do not do it again,” Simpson repeated, leading to a more full-throated admonition from the judge. “You know exactly what I mean. Don’t play with me. You know exactly what I mean.”
From there, Simpson sustained the objection and told the defense attorney to move on to his next question before the video cuts off.
Comments on social media praised Simpson for the way he handled the matter, while many accused the defense attorney of trying to get sassy during the exchange with the judge.
Multiple voices echoed the phrase, “Judge Simpson, don’t play!”
“How do people STILL not know better than to backtalk a judge?” one YouTube user asked in the comments section. “Especially sass from an attorney. Just shut your mouth and be respectful when called upon. Easy peasy!“
Judge Simpson has built a career dealing with harebrained defendants, with videos of his comical yet no-nonsense courtroom takedowns frequently causing a sensation online.
In another viral video posted online in August, the same judge sentenced a man to 558 days in jail after he boldly told Simpson to “kiss my ass” during his first appearance — clearly not realizing that Simpson was the last judge he should have crossed.
Back in April, a Michigan woman facing charges in a road rage incident found herself in hot water when she turned snippety with Simpson, who threatened to throw her in jail unless she calmed down.
“She better check herself,” Simpson warned the woman’s lawyer at the time.
The same month, another man charged with felony fleeing showed up in court acting as his own lawyer and tried to match wits with Simpson, who warned him, “You’re playing with the wrong judge.”
Another viral moment in Simpson’s courtroom happened in May when a man whose right to a driver’s license was suspended appeared for court on a Zoom call from behind the wheel of his car.
Not one to tolerate any nonsense, Simpson revoked the man’s bond on the spot and ordered him to report to jail.
Days later, yet another man who accompanied his granddaughter to court found himself in hot water when Simpson told him to sit down and be quiet after the man complained the hearing didn’t start on time.
In June, Judge Simpson presided over a video hearing that involved a drug possession defendant who was observed in a Zoom waiting room rolling a blunt in plain view.
Simpson ordered the defendant to go to an official corrections facility for drug testing the same day, but when he didn’t show up, the judge revoked the man’s bond.
