Lawyer Handcuffed on Judge’s Order Says She Was Not Bending Rules

A Philadelphia lawyer who was handcuffed by an irate judge on Tuesday insists she was nothing but respectful during a courtroom appearance.

Lawyer Mary Maran apparently spoke over the judge, drawing a warning that she would be held in contempt if she continued, the Bucks County Courier Times reports. When it happened again, a sheriff’s deputy slapped on the handcuffs, the story says.

The judge, Jeffrey Finley of Bucks County, later allowed removal of the handcuffs. Maran’s client was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for attempted aggravated indecent assault.

"My advocacy was very respectful to the judge and to the proceedings," Maran told the publication. "I asked for an opportunity to persuade the court, and he granted that permission. This is not me bending rules or pushing envelopes. What I did was with his permission."

Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathaniel Spang viewed the episode in a different light, according to the story. "As [the judge] was talking she was shaking her head and talking over him. I thought he showed a lot of patience with her," he said.