Understanding How to Approach Your Court Appearance
What are some things you shouldn’t do when you’re showing up to court? Hi, my name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa criminal defense attorney with Wirth Law Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ve been practicing family and criminal law for eight years now, and I want to help you make law easy by giving you some advice about maybe one or two things you shouldn’t do before court.
So this happened today. I was in court just on a regular criminal docket, waiting to announce one of my clients to get a new court date and, you know, enter a plea for another one of my clients to get them just set up on probation. And someone was on the docket who they weren’t quite acting themselves.
The Dangers of Showing Up Intoxicated
Some of you are going to beat me to the funny part here, but, you know, a little stumbly, not moving very fast, eyes kind of like someone had a little bit of a happy morning, we’ll put it that way. Had a little bit too much fun the night before. I don’t know the details. All I know is that this individual was so intoxicated that they blew over a .25 when they had to do a breathalyzer test because they were very clearly intoxicated in the courtroom, had to go, had to get tested, and blew three times the legal limit.
Y’all, I get that court is stressful. I get that no one wants to go. I don’t think I’ve ever, ever in eight years had a client go, Yes, it’s court day. I get it. It’s not a fun time. However, you’ve got to be able to manage that stress and manage that anxiety without making your coffee Irish in the morning. Like, I get it. It’s not fun. You don’t want to be there.
Consequences of Contempt in Court
That’s great. After court’s over, go have a pint. If that’s what you need to do to calm down, you know, settle your nerves. Great. Do it after the fact, but don’t show up to court so freaking blitzkrieg that you’re seeing four different judges and there’s only one sitting on the bench. It’s not a good look, and it’s not going to go well.
So here’s how that played out for this guy. He’s going to jail. The court found him guilty of direct contempt of court and he’s being taken to jail until he can be seen by a judge on Friday. At that point, he might be able to get out, but he’s not going to be able to get out and just go run free. He’s going to have to get out and go get treatment.
Staying Sober and Making Wise Choices
Showing up like that and displaying that much actual contempt for the court does not bode well for anyone in the courtroom. Your options are going to start shrinking, and they’re going to start shrinking fast until the only option you have left is jail time. So do yourself a favor. Stay sober at least while your case is going on.
I would honestly advise most of my clients to just not even touch a drink until their case is over. If at any given point you could be in front of a judge or your actions could be, you know, read out or played out in an open courtroom. Make sure you take care of yourself and make sure that you maintain your sanity and sobriety. Otherwise, it’s just going to get worse for you.
Schedule Your Low-Cost Initial Strategy Session
My name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa felony defense attorney with Wirth Law Office, and I want to help you make law easy. If you need further guidance, consider scheduling a low-cost initial strategy session with me. Please call us at 918-879-1681 to discuss your case and explore your options. Let’s take the next step together.
