Humor – May It Pleasure The Court…

Humor – May It Pleasure The Court…

Courtrooms are places of decorum, tradition, respect and formality — even on television. And while legal dramas on TV fudge nearly everything about the way things work in actual courtrooms, they do incorporate some real legal language, in part to make their shows feel more ‘real.’

One of the more curious phrases you’ll hear in courtrooms, real and fictional, is the line “may it please the court” — a common introduction to oral argument that was a courtroom standard in the 19th century and remains in use today.

It’s charming phrase, one Calico has always loved hearing. So much more colorful and evocative of legal formality than a plain old “objection!” or mundane motion. Every time she hears it, “may it please the court” brings a smile to Calico’s face — provided her husband isn’t in the room, being described as “the defendant.”

A recent Zoom-court incident, however, has Calico wondering if her favorite bit of TV legal jargon might be the inspiration behind some decidedly informal courtroom behavior. What happened? Was Jack McCoy involved? Was anyone jailed for contempt of court? What kind of name for a legal drama is “Zoom,” anyway?

Get Calico’s take on these crucial questions in her new post, “May It Pleasure The Court…”  

by Calico Rudasill, Sssh.com Erotic Movies and More Adult Entertainment

Read On…

If you’ve ever watched a courtroom drama on TV, there are certain phrases you’ve doubtlessly heard many times. Beyond the frequent exclamations of “objection!” and constant addressing the judge as “your honor,” there are the slightly more arcane terms like “sidebar” and dialog that gets more specific, where the objection includes a cause, like “assumes facts not in evidence.”

What if it Doesn’t Please the Court? Do We Automatically Lose?

My favorite bit of courtroom jargon that’s often depicted in legal dramas has always been “may it please the court” at the start of an oral argument. Many people think this is something lawyers are required to say in court, but they’re wrong. (It’s true that some judges like it when lawyers open their arguments with the line – but it’s also true some do not.)

Either way, it’s a line I think TV lawyers should be required to use in courtroom dramas, because it really sets the mood and lets you know you’re watching a legal drama. Besides, as Justice Nathan L. Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court, one of the judges quoted in that ABA Journal article I linked above notes, lawyers have to say something to get things started.

“What would lawyers say instead?” Hecht asks. “Hi? Good morning—which is the most often-used alternative, as if the court session were any other meeting? What’s shakin’, Chiefie baby?”

Hey – I think Hecht is on to something here! Not only is “Chiefie Baby” way more fun than “your honor,” it would also put everyone in the courtroom at ease and lighten up that somber, officious environment a little bit.

“I Call this Adult Webcam Show to Order….”

This post isn’t really about TV legal dramas, though. It’s about a real… well, I don’t know if “drama” is the right word, but it’s a real something that played out in a court videoconference in Cook County, Illinois recently.

“Screenshots and video of two people apparently having sex during a videoconferenced Cook County court hearing quickly circulated online this week, prompting concern and amusement in courthouse circles,” reports the Chicago Tribune.

Or, as the caption on one Instagram post about the incident put it: “Maywood courthouse lit today.”

(After the post was removed for publishing sexually explicit content, the user complained “c’mon… the Maywood court allowed it.”)

A spokesperson for the Cook County sheriff said their office received a complaint about “inappropriate behavior” on a Zoom session for the Maywood court, but other details are scarce. It’s not clear, for example, whether the unwelcome lovers were defendants or people who just hopped on the call, as the call was open to the public.

Let’s Not Jump to Conclusions – Because You Just Know a Twist is Coming

Granted, I’m generally inclined to leap to the defense of strangers who are accused of sexual improprieties (provided they are the sort involving clearly consenting adult partners and all those reasonable caveats), so maybe I’m just biased… but I can see potential for there being an innocent explanation here.

How so? Well, it’s rooted right there in my favorite bit of courtroom drama lingo! Suppose, hypothetically, the people who got it on during the hearing were the defendants and they were both nervous and eager to do whatever the court asked. It only makes sense they’d want to be compliant in all ways and make a positive impression on the judge, right?

Ok, so sitting there in that state of mind, they then heard one of the lawyers, either the prosecutor or their own defense attorney, say “may it please the court” – only they misheard what was said and thought they were being asked to pleasure the court. One thing then led to another, yadda yadda yadda and some third party had his Instagram post removed.

I know it’s a stretch – but this Zoom session was, in a sense, a “broadcast legal drama” in its own right, so is it really so surprising it would end with a twist? All we need now is Jack McCoy standing there with an exasperated look on his face and a sarcastic comment from Lenny Briscoe.

For more compelling court drama leading to punishment, try out Wasteland.com BDSM and Punishment Movies!