float:right; After 3B District Court went viral in March, they were ordered to remove the comments feature from the live-stream. Heres How To Get Yours Right. The assistant prosecutor, Deborah Davis, also had more details about the incident involving the defendant: [Davis] revealed that in addition to driving while suspended, the car he was driving, a 2000 Ford Taurus, was hauling four adults, three children and one child, an infant, wasnt secured. color: white; The referrals are a nice bonus too, Get to figuring your way around AI sooner rather than later, Enjoy. "At this time, it would not be in accordance with good fiscal practice to establish any multi-year pattern of salary increases for the judiciary.". No, unfortunately, she is not, Saxton replied. She said she had looked through the comments on news articles: A lot of people are saying, well, its her fault., It was just really frustrating to me that everyone was watching, she said. Find contact information, experience, peer reviews, directions, and more at Martindale.com. STURGIS, Mich. A Michigan court defendant finds himself in even more trouble after he got caught attending a Zoom hearing from his alleged victims home last week. Middleton chalked up the episode to another oddity of life in a pandemic. Victims, suspects and witnesses were the people who elevated the hearings to viral-levels, but they were also pinpointed as part of the decision to end the broadcasts. Different courts have taken different approaches, but in many places, mundane proceedings have never been so widely accessible and primed for sharing, and that has created a trade-off between transparency and privacy. Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation, uncertain how Cuomo and lawmakers will close the budget hole, Legislature's 213 members received their first pay raise, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. .contact_office { margin-top: 0.3em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} Coby James Harris, 21, of Sturgis, faces an assault charge stemming from a Feb. 9 argument with his girlfriend, Mary Lindsey. Then well bring this fool in, Middleton said, as the offensive name popped up before the mans face appeared. "You've hit bottom and you're continuing to dig.". Judge Jeffrey Middleton called out the defendant for his unpaid fines, and yeah, he noted the whole appearing-in-court-from-the-driver's-seat-while-having-a-suspended-license thing: Sponsored..contact_entity {font-size: 1.5em ;margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} As ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court at the time, YouTube live-streams began as a way to remain transparent during Zoom hearings, as public court hearings allow people to watch. Harris is charged with assault, which is usually punishable by up to 10 years in prison. As with most things that go viral online, the videos also caused an influx of negative responses, according to Judge Middleton. The county prosecutors office did not immediately respond to The Post on Thursday, and Davis declined to comment when reached Wednesday evening, citing the pending case. "This is an issue we didn't have when we had live court.". "Mr. Harris my advice is don't say anything else. I don't even think that this phone has the charge for that, sir," responded Harris, who was indoors and admitted to being near an electrical outlet. I want some confirmation that she is safe before we continue.. We've received your submission. And, yeah, Judge Middleton was NOT pleased: "Your name's . "Why wouldnt you just leave? Cuomo appointee Robert Megna,former state budget director, also voted against the proposal. Your honor, we both dont want the no-contact order, said Harris, with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth. What kind of idiot logs into court like that? the appalled jurist added. The entire hearing was streamed on the judge's courtroom YouTube channel. If you have $10 million, you cant bond out. To advocates, however, the moment was a grim window into the intimidation that domestic violence victims face constantly. A police officer participating in the Zoom hearing could be seen talking on the phone to someone, though his microphone was muted and the conversation could not be heard. "The Supreme Court are the ones who told us to start the YouTube live feed some year ago, and I thought 'If they're the ones that told me to start it, I guess I should listen to them when they tell me to stop it'," said Judge Middleton during the live-stream. A cigarette jutted from his lips as he addressed the court. .widget-row.Democratic { KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), streamed on the judges courtroom YouTube channel, Multiple western Washington residents indicted in connection to coast-to-coast drug ring, Seattle firefighters battle massive Lake City building fire for hours, Court finds Federal Way gun store in contempt of court, Powerball jackpot winner identified as longtime Boeing employee, Puyallup police officer charged with rape makes first court appearance. The report came as Gov. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. See our privacy policy. font-weight: bold; save. "I'm sorry.". Harris was arrested after officers found him attending the Zoom hearing at the home of the woman, from whom he had been ordered to stay away. We want to know your views on law firm policies and culture. | Use a descriptive title, See also: Michigan judicial elections, 2014 In the year since it started, the 3B District Court broadcasts had amassed a regular large following, which has been clear to see in the response following their cancellation. from the Wayne State University School of Law. The latest virtual snafu happened when a defendant logged into an arraignment hearing with an unfortunate moniker Buttfucker 3000. The defendant had a story about why it wasnt a blatant violation: The man told the judge he was sitting in his boss vehicle and that he didnt drive there. Courts, Deborah Davis, Jeffrey Middleton, Zoom. Both Harris and Lindsey were attending a livestream court hearing March 2, along with attorneys and Judge Jeffrey Middleton. .widget-row.value-only.black { font-weight: bold; Subscribe and get breaking news, commentary, and opinions on law firms, lawyers, law schools, lawsuits, judges, and more. A visibly upset Davis facepalmed as she realized her hunch had been correct. That payment plan also includes the prior laundry list of unpaid fees and costs. A community to discuss everything related to Judge Jeffrey Middleton's YouTube . [3], Video of the March 2 hearing is publicly available on Judge Jeffrey Middleton's YouTube channel. During a defendant'svirtual arraignment at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday in 3B District Court in Centreville, Judge Jeffrey Middleton asked him his name after reading the name tag for the Zoom account he used to log into the hearing: "Buttf-----3000. General: He was unopposed in the general election on November 3, 2020.Cite error: Invalid tag; name cannot be a simple integer. When the coronavirus pandemic shuttered courthouses, officials scrambled to keep their proceedings open to the public, turning to live streams and Zoom calls uploaded to YouTube. Now people are blaming her, she says. Mr. Judges at the Supreme Court level the statetrial-level court were being paid $136,700. Coby Harris, 21, had been ordered to have no contact with his girlfriend after his alleged Feb. 9 assault on her in Sturgis, Michigan, which is about 45 miles south of Kalamazoo. Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. A minute went by before the victim's Zoom box returned to the screen with Harris speaking to the judge as police appear to be handcuffing him inside the woman's apartment. [1] On November 4, 2014, Middleton was re-elected unopposed for another six-year term commencing on January 1, 2015, and expiring on December 31, 2020. Jeffrey C. Middleton is a district court judge for the 3B District Court in Michigan. Released from jail last month as his case was pending, Harris had come back to the apartment they shared, Lindsey said, in violation of no-contact orders. The balance of rights under the law absolutely does not require this, she said. Counties | background-color: #f9d334; The judge acknowledged that Harris' defense attorney clearly had no idea his client was violating a court order and he thanked Sturgis police for getting to the woman's apartment so fast. margin: auto; The hearing was rescheduled for March 16. I just had this feeling that something bad was going to happen, Lindsey said. share. The entire hearing was streamed on the judges courtroom YouTube channel. font-size: .9em; Thank you, Mark.. width: 250px; Mans Zoom court hearing ends with handcuffs after hes found attending from victims home Court officials, attorneys and defendant Coby Harris, bottom right, watch during a March 2, 2021, court hearing as Harris' alleged assault victim, bottom left, answers her door for police. .courts-header { font-size:150%;background-color:#334aab;color:white;} By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. St. Joseph County 3B District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey Middleton shocked his thousands of YouTube followers this week by announcing he was turning off the livestream and shutting down access to virtual hearings. The zoom call then captured police arresting the suspect during the hearing.. Harris, my advice is, dont say anything else. The judge then asked Harris to walk outside with his cellphone and show the address. Andrew Cuomo andlawmakers wrestle with a $6 billion state budget gap for the fiscal year beginning in April. Tell her she almost got you put in jail for contempt of court, Middleton said, eliciting another apology. font-size: 1.2em; Zoom hearing ends with arrest Deborah Davis, assistant prosecuting attorney for St. Joseph County, Mich., reacts as defendant Coby Harris is arrested during a March 2, 2021, court hearing held via Zoom. Im sorry I lied to you. Michigan Probate Courts, Courts in Michigan Michigan judicial elections Judicial selection in Michigan, What's on my ballot? The other thing is, he missed his calling. But now the Michigan Supreme Court has said they should be brought back for judicial transparency. display: inline-block; The prosecutor and Harris' attorney could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday. A Michigan man was set to be sentenced after entering a plea for having no insurance and driving with a suspended license. The Global Legal News You Need, When You Need It. State executives | (Judge Jeffrey Middleton/Youtube) At one point in the hearing, assistant district attorney . margin-bottom:0px; ", People think its clear cut," she said. It was not immediately clear what additional charges he will face following the court hearing. width: 150px; Ultimately, the defendant was put on a payment plan to pay off his fines, and sentenced to a weekend in jail. .contact_office { font-size: 0.8 em; margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} Live-streams of court proceedings have been critically important to maintaining public access to the judiciary while court buildings have been closed to protect public health. I dont know why I. U.S. President | Lawmakers are set to reconvene in Albany next month. We will never sell or share your information without your consent. width: 57%; The state Legislature's 213 members received their first pay raise since 1999 at the start of this year, bumping their pay up from $79,500 to $110,000. | Many people commenting online are supportive. Allen said Middleton has always had and continues to have a strong memory. In 2023, Judge will earn a base salary of $40,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $40,000,000. Middleton said that even if both Harris and Lindsey want the bond conditions lifted, prosecutors do not. 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