Legal Ethics
Defendant Gets a Leg Up With Jerk Chicken Offering
Posted Oct 29, 2009, 08:46 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
An Illinois judge’s decision to accept a tray of jerk chicken from a man accused of misdemeanor battery and trespass has created a spicy controversy.
In an Aug. 4 hearing, Judge Robert Livas of Joliet told defendant Darrius Logan that working 100 unpaid hours at Uncle Joe's Jerk Chicken did not fulfill his community service requirement, the Chicago Tribune reports. Livas told Logan to return to court with proof that he worked community service hours elsewhere or enough spiced chicken to feed the courtroom.
The defendant opted for the second choice, the story says. On Oct. 6, he brought a tray of jerk chicken to court, along with bread and two sides of sauce.
"A defendant took something I said as a joke literally," Livas told the newspaper. "It forced me to keep my word and accept his original [community service] letter. I give him credit—he made me eat my words.”
The prosecutor objected when Livas accepted the chicken. Chief Judge Gerald Kinney told the Tribune that the matter "has been referred for review to the appropriate agency."
Hat tip to Pat’s Papers.
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