A Michigan judge whose daily court life-streams have became an internet sensation thanks to a string of oddball defendants has pulled the plug on the spectacle.
Michigan's 3B District Court Judge Jeffrey Middleton on Monday announced that he was ending the live-streamed court hearings effective that day, saying that the state Supreme Court was 'strongly suggesting that we stop our YouTube live feed.'
In announcing the end of the daily live-streams this week, the judge expressed a concern that the videos were being used for entertainment purposes, instead of educating the public as intended.
'I don't have a television show,' he said. 'I am not looking to have $44million syndication deal. We don't make any money off of these videos.... we didn't set out to become YouTube stars.'
Judge Middleton took action after the latest gaffe saw a defendant sign in to a Zoom hearing as 'Buttf***er3000' last week.
He claimed to have been following new rules laid down by Michigan Supreme Court - but a spokesman there refuted that, and said the livestreams should resume for the sake of judicial transparency.
No more fun and games: Michigan Judge Jeffrey Middleton on Monday announced he was ending his daily court live streams after a series of viral hearings
The move comes a week after a defendant appeared before the judge under the user name 'Buttf***er3000'
Explaining his decision to end the streams, Judge Middleton said: 'The [Michigan] Supreme Court are the ones who told us to start the YouTube live feed some year ago, and I thought, "If they're the ones that told me to start it, I guess I should listen to them when they tell me to stop it."'
The judge noted that the videos have attracted some negative attention toward the court and toward him personally, with one disgruntled citizen calling him 'an embarrassment' and another slamming him as 'deplorable.'
However, a spokesperson for the Michigan Supreme Court told Newsweek that Judge Middleton has been urged to reconsider ending the live-streams.
'Live-streams of court proceedings have been critically important to maintaining public access to the judiciary while court buildings have been closed to protect public health,' said John Nevin.
Judge Middleton's live-stream first went viral in early March, when during a Zoom hearing it was revealed that a suspect in an assault case was in the same room as the alleged victim
Also in March, a defendant being sentenced for driving on a suspended license appeared before Judge Middleton behind the wheel of a car (bottom right)
'Just like school board meetings or city council sessions, court hearings on YouTube keep the public informed and educated. That's why the Supreme Court intends for this increased transparency to continue.'
The tug-of-war over 3B District Court's live-stream comes after a string of hearings that have gone viral on social media for all the wrong reasons.
Just last week, a defendant facing a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia logged into his virtual court appearance under the user name as 'Buttf***er 3000.'
Judge Middleton excoriated the suspect, Nathaniel Saxton, calling him a 'fool' and an 'idiot,' and threatening to charge him with contempt of court.
Saxton later explained that it was his sister who had set up his Zoom account, and apologized to the judge for the 'inside joke' involving the sexually explicit moniker.
Judge Middleton's live-stream first went viral in early March, when during a Zoom hearing it was revealed that a suspect in an assault case was in the same room as his alleged victim.
A prosecutor noticed that something was off when she saw that the victim in the case was looking off to the side while giving testimony, and alerted the judge, saying: 'I have reason to believe that the defendant is in the same apartment as the complaining witness right now, and I am extremely scared for her safety.'
The hearing ended with the suspect, Cody Harris, 21, being arrested live on Zoom and having his bond revoked for violating his no-contact order.
'You hit rock bottom and you’re continuing to dig,' Middleton told Harris after the man made a last-ditch effort to explain his actions and apologize.
Just a couple of days after that memorable hearing, another one of Judge Middleton's daily live-streams made headlines after a man who was being sentenced for driving on a suspended license appeared in virtual court from behind the wheel of his boss' car.
Judge Middletown wasted no time laying into the defendant, telling him: 'You’re dumb enough to go on video with you sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle... Makes me think you haven’t gotten the message.'
Middleton ultimately sentenced the man to a weekend in jail and a fine.
In February, Texas Attorney Ron Ponton inadvertently appeared at a court hearing with a kitten filter on
A Miami, Florida virtual court hearing took an unusual turn on Wednesday after one of the participants performed a butt injection that was plainly visible to everyone watching on Zoom
All those courtroom antics have made 3B District Court famous on social media, with many of the live-streams ending up on the popular subreddit Zoom Court, which has more than 20,000 followers.
The pandemic has given rise to a long series of amusing Zoom mishaps, arguably the most memorable of which was the one involving the 'kitten lawyer.'
In February, Texas attorney Ron Ponton appeared as a kitten for a hearing before the Lone Star State's 394th District Court.
Ponton was unable to turn the kitten filter off before the hearing began, and could be heard growing increasingly stressed as it unfolded.
In late April, Florida medic Niurka Aguero shared a live stream of herself giving a patient a butt injection while appearing before a virtual court in Miami on grand theft charges.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWKGdoWSaWpuZ32esKm1xpqlZqKlmbSmecSnm6xllJa2rcWMnKauqqRiuarCxKyrq52RosBuvsSpnJqslZm5unnWnqWtZaaev6K4jaGrpqQ%3D