If ever there was a good time for San Francisco inmates to get their feelings off their chest – in a quasi productive way — it's when they're standing before a judge, answering to charges, whatever they might be.
If that sounds counterintuitive, it's because it is.
As if Ronnie Lee Moody, the man who's facing a stack of charges stemming from his alleged robbery and assault that ended when he sideswiped former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, wasn't in enough trouble. When Moody appeared in court recently, the 32-year-old thought it wise to verbally assault Judge Philip Moscone by calling him a "fat motherfucker." He punctuated his hostility when he crudely told a jurist to kiss his dick. In a subsequent hearing, Moody again unleashed his abuse, this time onto Judge Donna Little, calling her a bitch, to which she pointedly retorted: "That's Judge Bitch to you."
Presumably that's a much more satisfying way of handling the situation than holding Moody in contempt of court. "It's very rare a judge holds a defendant in contempt of court for cursing out a judge, because it happens so often," says Peter Keane, a law professor at Golden Gate University. "With most judges, it comes with the pay scale."
Also, it's an exercise in futility. Usually, a criminal defendant is already being held in jail; holding them in contempt of court, which would result in a few days in jail, is pointless. Ignoring a defendant or finding some comic relief in the situation is much more effective.
"I've seen judges who see it best by laughing," Keane says.
Such was the case during Moody's third appearance in court last week. After hearing Moody's name called from the docket, Judge Martin Shulman cracked an amused smile and said with a hint of resignation: "I've been forewarned."
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