I guess he woke up on the wrong side of the bed….what else could explain the short-tempered reaction of Chief Judge A.J. “Buddy” Welch Jr. of Henry County Juvenile Court in Georgia to family law lawyer Ella A.S. Hughes?
In the midst of his decision to remove Ms. Hughes’ client’s children from their home and into the custody of the child protection authorities, the following exchange took place:
“Judge Welch (to Hughes): “That expression, ma’am, just cost you $100. You are removed from the court approved list.”
Hughes tries to speak up, but Welch tells her to stop.
Judge Welch: “Your sarcastic looks and your sarcastic attitude is unacceptable to this court. You are removed from the appointed list. You can reapply at some other time. You can stay on the cases that you presently have but if I ever see that action from you again I can assure you that appropriate actions will be taken. Do you understand that, ma’am?”
Hughes: “Yes, sir.”
Judge Welch: “You may not like my rulings but you can surely appeal them.”
Hughes: “If I may, Your Honor, the only thing I did was bow my head to write down what you were saying.”
Welch: “No, ma’am. You did not. Now you have tested the court’s patience. I find you in willful contempt of this court. You are fined $1,000 and you are given 10 days in jail. Take her into custody. I want the record to reflect that the attorney I just had to hold in contempt was not just bowing her head but she was giving sarcastic, unprofessional looks, body action that showed her disgust for the court’s ruling and disrespect for the court in its entirety.”
And off she went to jail…for a few minutes…paid her fine and headed to the courtroom where her next client awaited her.
The Georgia Appellate Court overturned the contempt finding made against Ms. Hughes…Just another day in the life of a trial lawyer.
Lawdiva aka Georgialee Lang
Lawdiva's Blog 
The Judge needs to take some Valium or maybe some counseling sessions to strengthen his “self” worth perhaps…