Comments on: Turn Off Your Cellphone or Go To Jail? http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/08/turn_off_your_c_1.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:18:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Matt http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/08/turn_off_your_c_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-57258 Matt Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:05:47 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/08/turn-off-your-cellphone-or-go-to-jail.html#comment-57258 The people who throw trash on the ground outside my apartment, grad, also don't think it's that much of a problem. Those making a mess and being annoying rarely do. The people who throw trash on the ground outside my apartment, grad, also don’t think it’s that much of a problem. Those making a mess and being annoying rarely do.

]]> By: recent grad http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/08/turn_off_your_c_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-57257 recent grad Sat, 26 Aug 2006 07:28:46 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/08/turn-off-your-cellphone-or-go-to-jail.html#comment-57257 Wow. When I was in law school cell phones would ring with some regularity (maybe once or twice over the course of a term per class), but the professors always just ignored it. I was rather impressed by their (uniform!) discretion and easy-going nature. I think it would make a professor who retaliated against a student for something minor like this look rather petty. Wow. When I was in law school cell phones would ring with some regularity (maybe once or twice over the course of a term per class), but the professors always just ignored it. I was rather impressed by their (uniform!) discretion and easy-going nature. I think it would make a professor who retaliated against a student for something minor like this look rather petty.

]]> By: Paul Gowder http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/08/turn_off_your_c_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-57256 Paul Gowder Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:23:13 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/08/turn-off-your-cellphone-or-go-to-jail.html#comment-57256 I don't see anything wrong with this. Judges are surely entitled to order the cellphones off, and are surely entitled to enforce that order. One hour's restraint and a hundred dollar fine isn't much. The forty hours seems too tough, but within the range of discretion. The alternative is for the courts to do what they did in the local federal court: ban all electronic devices without exception. Do you know how bloody irritating that is, to not even be able to bring a palm pilot in? And how inconvenient it is for witnesses, clients, etc. who forget? Much better to force them to be off and strongly deter the violators. I don’t see anything wrong with this. Judges are surely entitled to order the cellphones off, and are surely entitled to enforce that order. One hour’s restraint and a hundred dollar fine isn’t much. The forty hours seems too tough, but within the range of discretion.

The alternative is for the courts to do what they did in the local federal court: ban all electronic devices without exception. Do you know how bloody irritating that is, to not even be able to bring a palm pilot in? And how inconvenient it is for witnesses, clients, etc. who forget? Much better to force them to be off and strongly deter the violators.

]]>