Judge Loses His Cool: Our Strange Lawyer Story of the Week

Jackson County, Michigan, Circuit Judge John McBain was caught on camera this week losing his cool over a mouthy defendant. The defendant, Jacob Larson, was brought before Judge McBain for violating an earlier protection order that had been doled out.

Larson was told not to bother his ex-girlfriend on Facebook, but he continued to send her messages and contact her through the social site. While sitting before McBain defending himself, Larson provoked McBain causing the judge to, well, here’s how it unfolded. 

The Escalation

At first, McBain told Larson that he would serve three days in jail for violating his earlier sentence. But Larson started to talk back. McBain quickly increased his days in jail from 3 to 93, but this only caused Larson to become even more agitated. So what did McBain do next? He told the security guard standing in the courtroom to taze Larson - but, no, it did not end there.

McBain then ripped off his robe, stepped down from his bench, and went to help the security guard bring Larson to the ground and cuff him. All of this was caught on courtroom video. According to the law, a judge has the power to use whatever force he deems necessary to gain order in a courtroom.

Seemingly, Judge McBain felt that he needed to assist guards with the detainment of Larson - a rare case of a judge using physical force. It gives a new meaning to the term: Order in the court!

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