I was called to court on truancy charges. My mother and I had been under the impression that we were assigned a public defender, but once we arrived we found out that they had reviewed the charges and decided we were not eligible. My mom was left to defend herself, having never been in court before; she was a nervous mess. At one point I tried to correct a statement she had made, and Judge Martin held his hand up to silence me. I was not allowed to speak for the remainder of the hearing. After each side had given their argument, Judge Martin instantly gave his verdict of guilty. He took no time to make up his mind; in fact, it seemed he had had it made up from the moment we walked into the room. He explained why he had decided so, bringing up a few points that my mother had already clearly explained during her testimony. It was obvious that he hadn't been listening. He then proceeded to call my mother a ""lame, pathetic"" and weak parent, which I found to be a wholly unnecessary comment. He showed no sympathy or empathy, nor did he make any attempt to understand our side of the story. I am appalled at how he made my mother feel, and I found his behavior offensive and unprofessional.
Pros: He appeared to be listening (again, I said ""appeared"").
Cons: Didn't actually listen; made hurtful, inappropriate comments
more