Trials & Litigation
Lawyer spends a night in jail over his attitude about being selected for jury duty
All a Nevada lawyer said was “thanks a lot” as he headed past the courtroom’s attorney tables after being selected for jury duty on Monday morning.
But that was enough to get Kurt Smith in hot water with District Judge Ron Israel, who overheard the remark, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
The judge found Smith in contempt and gave him a choice of attending the Las Vegas trial as a spectator or spending a night in jail. Smith opted to observe the trial.
But the next day Smith was about 30 minutes late to court, and Israel put him behind bars. The sentence was for 48 hours, but Smith was released after about 24 hours, around the same time that the trial ended.
Neither Smith nor his lawyer could be reached for comment, the newspaper says.
