Public Defender Found Guilty…
Posted on by Townsend Myers… of contempt of court.
I know the feeling… well. It is sometimes frustrating to be a criminal defense attorney. Lots of enemies, and few friends. The rule is always to be patient and professional – true – but sometimes the rule just gets broken. Mike Perlstein of WWL reports the following from the Criminal Court building at Tulane and Broad:
N.O. public defender sanctioned by Criminal Court for second time
by Mike Perlstein / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS — An Orleans Parish Criminal Court judge found a public defender guilty of contempt of court Monday morning, ordering him to pay a $100 fine and imposing a 24-hour suspended sentence. It is the second time that public defender Stuart Weg has been sanctioned by a judge at Tulane and Broad, having been arrested in December 2009 after a court scuffle with sheriff’s deputies.
According to court documents and sources, Weg came in to court late Friday afternoon, after the day’s docket had been completed, in an attempt to have a case heard. He was told to wait, but then became argumentative, raising his voice and allegedly tossing papers toward an assistant district attorney.
After the judge’s ruling Monday, the Public Defender’s Office asked for time to file a writ with an appeals court, which is now being considered.
Criminal court spokeswoman Margaret Dubuisson said she could not offer any comment or information on the contempt case until a court transcript was completed, which normally takes several days.
Weg made news in late December when he was arrested and booked with battery, criminal trespass and resisting arrest, during a scuffle with sheriff’s deputies who were ordered by Judge Ben Willard to remove him from court.
