Fri 31 Aug 2007
The Serious Side of the Law
Posted by cindy under Cilly Stuff , Photos , Work Crap at 10:55 am[9] Comments
You don’t want to turn 5o around HERE, man.
Today is a court reporter’s 50th birthday. Everyone knew it was her birthday, but she didn’t know that we knew it was the big 5-0. A few of us waited around after hours yesterday until she went home. And then we busted out some decorations and got busy.
I would say we “trashed” her desk, but it’s so much more FESTIVE than trash. The clerk of that courtroom said that when the reporter came in this morning and walked into the courtroom, she screamed for about 10 minutes.
Aside from the obvious large decorations of the black desk covering, balloons, signs and streamers, there are also AARP magazines on the top of her desk, 3 cans of not just Ensure, but LIGHT Ensure, stacked at the front edge of her desk, a diaper, Tiger Balm medicine pad, and “Over the Hill” sparkly confetti sprinkled everywhere. I even put some in her desk drawers and cubbyholes. She’ll be finding sparklies for weeks. Some more details:
Even as I was having the best time doing this yesterday, I was secretly glad that these people with the crazy decorations will be retired when *I* turn 50. Whew!
And yes, the judge took the bench and went into session with all the decorations in place, conducting business as usual. The litigants were delighted at the decor, I heard. Who says Family Law isn’t light-hearted?
You can just barely see the top of the court reporter’s hair over the top of the cards on her desk.
(I don’t know if this happens on your computer, but for some reason on these photos, about 15% is cut off on the right margins when I view them on the site, so all the photos look off-balance. In the full photo, you can actually see a litigant’s arms on the counsel table in the last shot. Roll mouse over each photo for caption, as always.)
That’s a really cool judge to let you trash his courtroom like that. 🙂
Yup, he is totally cool, and was totally in on it. 😉 Who do you think hid the decorations until we could get to it?
how dreadful and i thought my desk was bad turning 3-0!? super cool that the judge was on it though!
If you gotta go to court, it would be nice to at least have some decorations to help lighten the mood. 🙂
WOW! Oh my… You totally decorated the place up. I am sure she will NEVER forget this and never let you forget is, as well. Esp. when your special day comes around. Prop to your judge for being cool.
K – Luckily, the clerk who works with this reporter didn’t know me when I turned 30. *wiping forehead*
Dwaine – Yeah, especially when you go to a family law court! You’re probably mad to be there, having your ex-wife try to screw you out of more money she’s not entitled to, and then you walk in and see the decorations, and the world is fun again! Yay! Or maybe not.
Vanessa – they won’t be around when “my day” comes around, they would’ve retired long ago. And it’s not my judge, it’s a family law courtroom. The clerk is the blonde lady on the left of the last photo. My judge would probably not allow something like that in his courtroom if we’re gonna be in session.
That was very nice of you, your not the meanie you make yourself out to be. Just kidding that was very thoughtful.
I’m surprised they allowed the decorations while court was in session… but, cool that they, “he”, did.
Can you imagine if it were a murder trial… the murderer would be like “I’m going to be sentenced to life and these idiots are celebrating someone’s freaking 50th birthday”
haha
TBG – thanks?
Jordan – I’m sure if it were a criminal court, the decorations wouldn’t have stayed up due to security issues. You never know if an in-custody defendant would grab a handful of metallic glitter confetti, throw it in the bailiff’s eyes, then make a run for it. :/