Humor and the Law, Part One

In honor of April Fools’ Day, the editors of the blog asked the faculty of the Law School to share their favorite examples of legal humor. Every day we will share a different faculty member’s submissions.  First up is Professor Matt Mitten.

 

Lawyer: You say you saw the man stabbed in the hay field with a fork. What kind of fork was it?

Witness: Well, did you ever see a tuning fork or an dinner fork in a hay field?

 

Did you hear about the Texas lawyer who got his client a suspended sentence?  They hung him.

 

My lawyer says that giving legal advice gives him a grand and glorious feeling. His clients give him a grand and he feels glorious.

 

One day the gate between heaven and hell broke down. St. Peter called out to the devil, “Hey Satan, it’s your turn to fix it.” “Sorry ,” said the devil. My men down here are too busy shoveling coal. We can’t worry about a mere gate.” “All right,” declared St. Peter, “if that’s your attitude then I’ll have to sue you for breaking our agreement.” “Go ahead and try!” snapped Satan. “Where are you gonna get a lawyer?”

 

While on his rounds Officer Sullivan stumbled on a young couple making love in a graveyard. He promptly carted them off to night court. “What were you doing in a graveyard at midnight?” asked Magistrate Riley. “Nothing wrong, Your Honor,” replied the boy. “I was just burying the old stiff.” “And what about you?” Riley asked the girl. “I was the undertaker, “ she responded. “You idiot!” exclaimed the judge to the policeman, and he fined the officer $25 for disturbing the peace.

 

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Love and Violence: Valentine’s Day Edition

On Monday, February 6, Florida couple Joseph Bray and his wife Sonja got into a fight because, she says, he failed to wish her a happy birthday.  According to the arrest affidavit, the fight escalated; Joseph Bray pushed Sonja Bray onto their couch, grabbed her neck, and raised his fist to hit her, although he did not strike her.  Joseph Bray was arrested and when he appeared in court on a domestic violence charge, you can be sure the judge issued appropriate sanctions.

Or not.

Judge John Hurley ordered in lieu of posting a bond that Joseph Bray get his wife flowers and a birthday card, take her to Red Lobster for dinner, then take her bowling.  And he ordered the couple to see a marriage counselor. 

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Pop Culture and Ideology

It’s common to assume American popular culture leads only to mindless escape, but in a recent speech to Communist Party officials President Hu Juntao of China warned that American popular culture might have a much more dangerous effect. He noted that Transformers 3 was a top-grossing film in China and also that the songs of Lady Gaga were as popular as those of any Chinese singer. Hu suggested the United States and other nations are westernizing and dividing China as he spoke and pop cultural works were weapons in this onslaught. Hu urged the Chinese to understand the seriousness of the struggle for Chinese cultural integrity and to always “sound the alarms and remain vigilant.”

Perhaps Hu is exaggerating the dangers, especially with regard to the fundamental aspects of Chinese culture. It’s hard to imagine Transformers 3 doing much damage to Confucian ethics or the Chinese sense of community and solidarity. However, Hu is correct when he suggests popular culture can and routinely does promote certain values and modes of behavior. It is highly normative. Popular culture – films, television shows, cheap literature – have the potential to function ideologically, and consumers of popular culture in China as well as in the United States are encouraged to “get on board” with the social world popular culture imagines and promotes.

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