Outburst in court earns judge's ire - and a record
Dr. Margaret McIntyre, a Virginia Beach pediatrician, found out the hard way what others learn every day: Jury duty is nearly impossible to get out of.
McIntyre did succeed in avoiding her civic duty, but in exchange, a federal judge Tuesday handed her a criminal record and a $250 fine after a tirade three weeks ago, the likes of which the judge said he had never seen before.
“He’s not the president. He’s a judge,” McIntyre yelled before U.S. District Court Magistrate F. Bradford Stillman on Nov. 14, as U.S. marshals moved toward her. “He’s a federal employee that ought to be doing something important other than treating me like this.”
Stillman had ordered McIntyre to appear that day to explain why she was being “rude and disruptive” to the court’s jury clerks. Her request to be excused had already been denied.
McIntyre proceeded on a tirade for nearly 15 minutes, at one point demanding to be put in jail.
“I just can’t believe I have to come down here for jury duty and be treated like this,” she said. “This is incredible. This is like a nightmare out of an American sitcom. You have nothing better to do than to harass an American citizen who’s done nothing.”
Stillman tried to get her to leave and come back with a lawyer to face a contempt charge.
“Oh, great. So I have to spend a thousand billion dollars now again on lawyers for something that I didn’t even want to do to start with,” she continued.
“Ma’am, I don’t think that we can accomplish anything more today,” Stillman said. “I’m trying to be as fair to you as I can.”
“Well, you’re not talking to me like a person,” she said. “I’m not in preschool, you know. I’m not a kindergartner. I don’t need to be sat down and told to sit like a dog.”
As McIntyre continued, trying to argue with the judge over the meaning of the word “contemptuous,” Stillman had had enough.
“The marshals are directed to remove this prospective juror from the courtroom,” he ordered.
“Don’t touch me,” McIntyre said to the marshals before storming out of the building.
On Tuesday, her attitude had changed. As her attorney begged the judge for mercy, McIntyre sat bawling.
“I’m very sorry,” she told Stillman.
She could have received up to 30 days in jail and a $2,000 fine for the criminal contempt of court charge.
“The court can find no excuse for your behavior,” the judge concluded.
a thousand billion dollars, exactly how much is that? I dont like jury duty either but this is rediculous. Would you really want this person sitting on a jury for you? I think no matter what the evidence is they would just go with whatever the majority was voting just to get out of there.
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