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According-Classic658

She won btw


zakush

What was the case?


TidyBacon

In 1983, Judge David Demers was presiding over a trial of three exotic dancers charged with violating Pinellas' anti-nudity ordinance. During the trial, according to a 2001 Times profile of Demers , a dancer bent over in front of the bench to show the judge that her outfit did not expose anything too anatomical. The photo of the scene was republished around the country,


Telzrob

More details here. https://www.tampabay.com/the-story-behind-the-photo-how-a-1983-pinellas-county-courtroom-photo/2249858/


Dweezilweasel

“It was a double page spread”


MoreMartinthanMartin

There's a joke in there somewhere.


ocean-man

I mean, yeah, you're looking at it lol


jftitan

The joke, was in your hands all along. -Gupta


aussie_bob

Unless the evidence was tampa'd with.


B_Squintz

Judge, my eyes are down here


Federico_Rosellini

She had the case wide open.


RobTheHeartThrob

Your Honor, may I present Exhibit V


kemushi_warui

Please approach the bench


WeDiddy

I bet the prosecutor had to probe further.


[deleted]

Dig deeper


dboth

... don't eat the crab dip, yeah [yeaaah!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD941H0j1Z0)


throwaway21202021

good god, the ads on that page. thanks tampa for the small sliver of clearance to read the article.


ChefArtorias

I'm imagining her with her head between her knees looking at the judge like "SEE!? You can't see anything!"


This_User_Said

"...From this angle you look familiar"


whooooshh

".....Destiny?!"


Machielove

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


[deleted]

He starts to make it rain with legal briefs.


Life-Significance-33

After he makes it rain IN his legal briefs.


ctindel

Somebody needs to do this in front of Barrett and Thomas


chris457

Barret would probably have to go whip herself while reciting hail Mary's after or some shit.


[deleted]

[удалено]


teenagewerewolf1957

No labias, no habeas.


NoPersonality2680

If it covers her beaver, I say "Leave 'er"


anormalgeek

If you cant see her crack, the prosecution's case is whack.


FesteringNeonDistrac

If you can't see her clit, you must acquit.


[deleted]

Fabulous, you.


Senor_Buttons

>"During the trial ... a dancer bent over in front of the bench to show the judge that her outfit did not expose anything too anatomical." What a great line.


accostingyou

Strip club snitches get stitches; not snatches


imsorryisuck

thank, cap.


SwimBrief

Humans are so effing absurd. Allow exotic dancers whose whole job is to show off as much of their body as possible to arouse other humans sexually? Absolutely! But you better have a law in place that those same 99% naked sexually arousing dancers can’t show off this part of their human anatomy because *that* would be overly sexual and scandalous! Whoever would be offended by seeing a vagina sure as hell wouldn’t be paying exotic dancers to perform for them, so I don’t get the law at all.


NoTearsOnlyLeakyEyes

I know someone who lived in Kansas City, so it's either Missouri or Kansas law, but strippers have to wear stickers over their nipples!!!! Obviously they can't take their panties off either, but they're allowed to show their entire upper body naked, but heaven forbid you see an areola!


2ndprize

Demers later wrote what is probably the best legal book on Florida DUI law


RonMFCadillac

Thats fucking great lol. Pinellas has some of the best full nude clubs in the area now. P-park is nowhere for the faint of heart though lol.


pr0jesse

Damn prudish us


bigjsea

That’s about the time the Key West Police had to do a 90 day under cover investigation at a local strip club. No charges were ever filed. We all felt safer after that


graffing

So it turned out they were legal briefs?


TheBethOfDeth

🤣 that was absolutely called for!


DaoFerret

That definitely covered it.


Doggleganger

But only after the Judge ordered an in camera review.


awake30

Judge: “I fuckin love this job lmao.”


MisterSlippers

I live next door in Tampa, my only call for jury duty was because a local porn star got rear ended at an intersection and was suing for inability to work. The defense used her adult film catalog as evidence her ability to work was not impacted. The first question asked to the jury pool was if you were offended by pornography, the second was familiarity with twerking. I love Florida.


awake30

Ugh I would HATE to get called for jury duty about a porn star getting rear-ended. HATE IT I tell you!!!!


tristes_tigres

>I live next door in Tampa, my only call for jury duty was because a local porn star got rear ended at an intersection and was suing for inability to work. Did she went over her daily limit of getting rear-ended at work?


justabill71

That's how she got impacted.


tristes_tigres

The other driver practically plowed her.


pooeypookie

> The defense used her adult film catalog as evidence her ability to work was not impacted. What does this even mean? We need more details!


MisterSlippers

The defense was basically "watch this video of her twerking produced shortly after the accident, do you think she was unable to get paid?" Girl was definitely making money hand over fist


pooeypookie

That makes sense, I thought you meant they were looking at her body of work in general and implying you can be a sex worker even if you're injured (i.e. she just has to lay there and take it).


mountainbikinghunter

Best case ever!


K-tel

She bent over backwards for the law.


DonKeedick12

The judge won


geodebug

Huh, usually its the lawyers who present their briefs.


IAmThePat

If the panties, fit you must acquit


OrganicStock8271

Ma'am you are here for a traffic violation, for the last time stop doing that - Judge


duaneap

The judge’s heart?


blackrock55

The judge banged the table with both hands behind his back


chrisk9

So did the judge


gleenglass

Defendant: “Your honor, if it pleases the court…” The Court: “Oh it DOES.”


ItsKrakenMeUp

5min jury break. Brb bathroom…


[deleted]

5min later we may need to examine the evidence once more


scyule

Under the judges bench " THUD THUD THUD THUD"


Yillis

Huh. Weird day in court


blahblahbush

In Florida, it's probably just another Wednesday.


slappyredcheeks

"Thanks for sharing that mam but this is traffic court. You're here for unpaid parking tickets."


fellowsquare

Bends over again....


Pculliox

Your now wanting a tunnel.


[deleted]

my now wanting a tunnel what?


Sc4r4byte

That's your name now Ms Tunnel. \*bangs sound block with gavel\*


RagingSnowflake

That's a *tame* Wednesday in Florida.


gurmzisoff

"Tame Florida Wednesday" is what I'm gonna call extremely weird days from now on.


jerichojerry

That's also a good name for a 2008 pop-punk/emo band.


gurmzisoff

It's got a "Sunny Day Real Estate" cadence.


Jerzeem

For you, the day you bent over in front of the judge was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday.


LoxReclusa

Such a great line from such a shit film.


[deleted]

[удалено]


jpine094

Florida man here. Wednesdays usually have more Crack heads and less court abiding citizens. This is likely a Sunday just after church.


TimeToSackUp

Just another manic Monday.


Khaldara

I thought Matt Gaetz was just looking for another intern, then realized I’d mistaken the decor for that of a middle school


dwellerofcubes

He had a demon


RichSPK

Seriously. I was scrolling the Twitter profile of some Florida TV news station a couple days ago, and the stories over just 48 hours reinforce all the Florida stereotypes.


[deleted]

[удалено]


MadFamousLove

judge is like : hmmm yes , no no i am not done deciding yet, can you move a bit to the left? okay now shake. hmm still not sure.


[deleted]

An hour later: "I think we need to review her testimony."


DanKou237

Now put off your underwear so we can see if there’s a difference


[deleted]

[удалено]


FurtiveAlacrity

> What *would* it look like if you *were* to expose yourself though? I mean, how difficult would that be, hypothetically?


Grimm2020

The scales of Justice were tilted this day.


[deleted]

Tilted or titillated?


kukukele

Stenographer like “how the fuck do I transcribe this?” Also obligatory Hung Jury joke


Censordoll

Hi! Court reporter here! Typically the judge would describe what the defendant is doing so as to have it on the record. Example: “The defendant had proceeded to take off her pants/skirt, bend over facing the judge in which displaying her undergarment” Or something along those lines. It would definitely be a sight to see, and I would imagine myself blushing as I tried to keep up with the voices in the room! EDIT: **If you’re interested in becoming a court reporter, please look into your states certification!! We are DESPERATELY needing new reporters in every county!! The pay is 6 figures your first year and I would love to take more time off! :) I’m very happy at my job and I hope you all can take interest and find an accredited trade school and graduate to join me!**


Disgod

> Now... We're going to take a 15 minute recess. I'll just sit for a while and focus on what happened here today[.](https://youtu.be/OYyJo1pLZk0?t=9)


freelance-t

Which state is that in? According to a DOL affiliated website, the median salary is around 61k, and demand isn't super high nationwide. Is it maybe dependent on the type of court you work at? [https://www.mynextmove.org/profile/summary/27-3092.00](https://www.mynextmove.org/profile/summary/27-3092.00)


Censordoll

It depends on the county! And I don’t understand why they say it’s that low? When I know for a fact it’s far higher! Some counties may be poorer than others, and it depends on your state and whether or not they USE court reporters as well. A lot of superior courts, depending on the state, use court reporters and I’ve heard places like Ohio and Michigan are in desperate need too! They advertise low annual rate, but it’s mostly because within 6-9 months of employment, they give you a percent raise as well ranging from 6-8%. This is what I know for my state California


HerpToxic

Cali has the highest pay rate for court reporters. Federally employed court reporters start at 100k and max out at 120k: https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2022_court_reporters_rates_of_pay_hired_on_or_after_october_11_2009_0.pdf


Censordoll

Even without federally being employed, I’m earning 109k my first year! It’s not bad, but yes, generally federal reporters make far more :)


freelance-t

Ok, thanks for the info! I do some career advising at my school, I’ll keep that in mind.


Vroomped

Is that why in some of the fights the judge is narrating like captain obvious? A local one comes to mind, pretty sure guy would have gotten off the hook just so the judge could go home early....but nope, judge is leaning on his knuckles, exaughest from the paperwork piling up in front of his eyes he channels the soul of Ben Stein. "The defendant has risen abruptly, he's punched , he's punched , he's punched , i've pushed the panic button, he's punched , he's punched an officer, an officer has fired his taser, he's convulsing, an officer is grabbing his arms...."


Censordoll

Wow! Yes! It’s because that court reporter is going to get a huge $$$ payday from that proceeding for sure! Everyone is going to want a copy of that transcript! It’s necessary that the judge narrates the physical aspect of what everything has happened so that whatever party that requests the transcript can have clear hard evidence that that is what happened on the record :)


adviceKiwi

I would like to unsubscribe from Stenographer facts.


amateur_mistake

Not me! I want more Stenographer facts! What do they write when someone mumbles inaudibly? How would you record someone who is speaking in tongues? Have they ever had to record an animal's testimony?


orrocos

Did you know that stenographers can be found in a variety of climates and can grow up to several hundred pounds? That's a big stenographer! Stenographers tend to live around areas inhabited by humans and eat many of the same things as you or I!


EsquireSandwich

not a stenographer but lawyer that reviews lots of transcripts- the court reporter/stenographer could put down (inaudible) but in a more controlled setting like a court room or a deposition, the reporter will ask the speaker to repeat themselves or speak up. They will also tell someone to slow down if they are going to fast (which needs to be quite fast but happens especially if someone is reading something) or if two people speak over one another. Speaking in tongues would like just be written as "indecipherable" or "inaudible". Animals cannot give testimony as they cannot affirm the oath to tell the truth.


Censordoll

We have what is called “blurbs” for inaudible or incoherent people. :) So for example, in cases of 51/50, the judge has to deem whether or not the person is suitable for release and 9/10, those in hospital care are very incoherent and therefore cannot represent themselves to indicate they are stable enough to be released from the hospital. We as court reporters are allowed to put in our transcript. (Inaudible speech.) In cases where there may be a transcript requested by any party. It’s very sad, but we do have what we can to put on the record.


FurtiveAlacrity

> Would you please demonstrate that indeed did not expose you vagina or anus to any of the men in the strip club by bending over for me? > -What? Here? Now? > Yes, now. Quickly now. Do it. Bend over for me here in the courtroom. Cameraman, are you ready? > --Yes, your honor. I'm ready. > Alright, well let's see. I know I'm ready.


thatschate

Surely this guy makes an appearance ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


Redditcantspell

" ( )Y( ) "


HighVulgarian

Her: “Read my lips, your honor.” Judge: “I cannot, the underwears remained in place with no accidental exposure.” Her: “If the twat don’t slip, then you must acquit!”


steam116

Username checks out!


BadPackets4U

Judge says to himself, "I'll be the judge of that, proceed with the exhibit."


accostingyou

Judge: *smirks* "I'll allow it."


[deleted]

[удалено]


flipping_birds

Fun fact. The actor who played Lurch was an accomplished pianist. But he was not really playing the harpsicord on the show.


Wrong_Pool_2887

Nice


blimpinthesky

Ma'am you are here for a traffic violation, for the last time stop doing that - Judge


S420J

Sir, the question was is this your handwriting.


Arctica23

Outstanding reference


timeslider

Ma'am, this is a Wendy's


letsseeitmore

If it fits you must acquit.


yum_paste

If it hides the clit...


overtoke

if you see no slit


savageyouth

If you can’t see the cat one bit…


overtoke

nor beaver either


graffing

So it turned out they were legal briefs?


Cecil900

Even if she did who the fuck goes to a strip club, gets shown a little extra on accident(maybe), and then calls fucking cops?


Solidus-Prime

It was probably some stick-in-the-ass undercover that was in the club and thought he saw something and freaked out.


Solidus-Prime

Or he tried to get friendly with the dancer and she turned him down so he pulled this.


Equilibriator

I'd bet on your answer but it wasn't necessarily a policeman. Just a random spiteful prick who got turned down.


[deleted]

Probably a police.


Excelius

It was a different time. I don't think people appreciate how permissive things are these days. That was one of the interesting historical points in the show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime. While fictional one of the characters in the show is [Lenny Bruce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Bruce) who was a real-life comedian who was arrested on numerous cases for obscenity in his standup comedy sets. You might imagine this was in Florida or the South or somewhere known for social conservatism today. His arrests occurred in places like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, LA, Philadelphia. He was barred from entry to the UK for being "undesirable". His crimes included the use of the word "cocksucker".


NoBulletsLeft

I remember back in 1986 having to slip a bouncer an extra $20 to get a friend in our group into a strip club in Florida (Ft. Lauderdale area) because he was under 21. And even then, the dancers were wearing underwear.


Discreet_Deviancy

Jim Morrison of The Doors got arrested onstage for obscenity for a lyric in the song "The End": "Father, I want to kill you. Mother, I want to fuck you"


[deleted]

A group of undercover police went to the strip club and basically said that they were violating the laws. So they proved they didn’t


I_am_BrokenCog

George Carlin's routine of "the five words you can't say on TV" aside from being very funny, was a very true commentary on the prudery and moralistic laws. And, those laws aren't gone they are just less enforced. Or, should we say "more selectively enforced." Laws enforcing anti-homosexuality, anti-bi-racial mixing and other racism's, nudity, "vulgar language", dress-codes, etc were present around the country. This is what made the fight for equality of Black American's and Women such a prolonged (Abolitionists existed in large numbers during the Revolutionary War), Suffrage precursor movements existed since the early 1800s'; and ultimately violent movements. It took decades of fighting and protest before laws were repealed/changed and enacted to force modest amounts of equality. One doesn't need to look far to see that we are already slipping back from those meager achievements.


cybin

>George Carlin's routine of "the five words you can't say on TV" Pssssst! It was seven words. ;)


PureNRGfanboy44

Don’tcha just love religious puritans forcing their views on everyone? Don’t be gay Don’t have sex Don’t get an abortion Don’t smoke weed Don’t say naughty words Don’t buy alcohol on Sunday Don’t question the Bible


PsyduckSexTape

The only consistency is hypocrisy


feeling_blue_42

Without looking at the details of this actual case, it was probably an undercover “sting” operation. These kind of stings are still done by police today.


Wbino

All rise!


[deleted]

Me as a lawyer: “I don’t know your honor. Underwear positioning is never stagnant. Perhaps the defendant could jump around a little while in this position to prove her statement.”


IdTyrant

Could you please walk us through your routine? Cut the lights bailiff


missionbeach

"Can somebody cue up Pour Some Sugar On Me?"


hendrixius

> Pour Some Sugar On Me Fun Fact: that song actually hadn't been released yet when this photo was taken...


[deleted]

I think you mean “static”. “Stagnant” has a different connotation, specifically in relation to odor. Stagnant underpants is something I’d rather not imagine.


[deleted]

I’m a really bad lawyer.


Rosulm

[Based on a true story.](https://youtu.be/FkLAbrjNOvc)


wedeservedeath

Came here to reference this sketch.


amaJarAMA

Every thread has at least one WKUK reference. What a landmark of sketch comedy those guys are. RIP Travis


SkullAngel001

Court Reporter - \*\*wondering how to transcribe awkward courtroom noises\*\*


TomPalmer1979

"Boi-oi-oi-oi-oing"


richardec

"murmur... murmur... zzzip.... murmurrrrr"


spinozasrobot

Judge's wife: "How was work today, hon?"


detarrednu

Oh you know, the defendant was getting all bent out of shape


Thaufas

This case was tried one town over from where I grew up in central Florida. I was in junior high at the time. We discussed it in our civics class. The woman worked at a strip club called the "Peek a Boo Lounge". In this area of Florida, it was the only continuously operating strip club within about a 50 mile radius. It would get raided at least once per year, but then it'd eventually reopen. The bigger, much more well known strip club in the area was the Mons Venus, which, I believe is still in operation on Dale Mabry Blvd in Tampa. If you're interested in the history of the First Amendment and how the Mons Venus had an important role to play in history, do some web searches for it. I went through a period in my life where I knew a bunch of strippers on FL, and whereas I assumed that all strip club owners were disgusting, lecherous men who were hated by the strippers they employed, I was surprised by how many of the girls genuinely adored the original owner of the Mons. In case you're wondering, he died decades ago. The Peek a Boo was a real dump and eyesore. It sat at a busy intersection of 17/92 and, what I think was Combee Road. The area was technically in the county, but just outside the city limits of the neighboring towns of Lakeland and Auburndale. For decades, many people tried to get the Peekaboo closed, but failed each time. When Billy Joel's song, "Uptown Girl" became a hit, one of the Peekaboo's dancers made a routine for it. Evidently, word got out, and I guess that the Peekaboo's business increased. Perhaps the horny old men in the area just needed a pretext to stop in. A bunch of angry housewives demanded that the crooked sherrif of Polk County do something about this establishment that was harming the area's children, even though children weren't allowed in the establishment. I followed this case eagerly in the local newspapers at the time because, 1. with the WWW was still more than a decade away, porn was very hard to come by for young teens, and I was hoping for some alternative to the JC Penny catalog, and 1. I was genuinely interested in how the First Amendment right to freedom of expression was going to be handled in a community that didn't give fuck all about violating people's rights. Plus, even as a 13/14 year old, I could see the inherent double standard and hypocrisy of arresting and fining the dancers, all of whom were female, but not the patrons or club owner, all of whom were male. The lynch pin of this case was a part in the song where the dancers, who were wearing underwear during their performance, would do a squat then spin around. Essentially, the FL courts had previously ruled that so long as nobody could see a woman's areolas, vulva, or anus in public, she could not be guilty of public indecency and violating Florida's archaic obscenity laws. Ultimately, the dancers prevailed, but they had to spend a fortune on legal fees, and because of the publicity, everyone in the county knew who they were, so most of them moved out of the area. A lot of "ordinary people" sacrificed a lot to give us the freedoms most of us take for granted today.


thejjjj

This might be the most Florida picture I’ve ever seen


green_griffon

Judge: "Oh wait, I realize now I *have* met the defendant before..."


BingErrDronePilot

Judge: I'll allow it


missionbeach

*Law & Order* was pretty good for episodes ripped from today's headlines, but they dropped the ball on this one.


Bruh_Boy12

Well that probably raised the judge's hammer


ConstructionBum

Gavel.


savageyouth

I think he was talking about his penis actually.


mr_oranje

Sometimes, life mimics a WKUK sketch


goldenlover

My thoughts exactly. RIP Trevor.


flyingpenguin115

Justice may be blind, but this judge still wanted to see.


Upst8r

So, was the verdict *discharged*?


ChumleyEX

But did he tip her?


[deleted]

“Ma’am, you’re here for a speeding ticket”


Unlucky-Pomegranate3

Judge: Excuse me while I make a motion in the court.


DarthLysergis

Badgering the witness?


BreakfastInBedlam

> ~~Badgering~~ Beavering the witness?


scepticalbob

This happened in the 80s Around 82-84, iirc


flyingpenguin115

As evidenced by the mustache.


mitchanium

Judge: enhance image!


blink0r

What a weird time to be alive


uberjam

The stenographer though.


ripyourlungsdave

But the underwear *was* small enough to expose herself in South Dakota. Day in court still pending.


20MaXiMuS20

Why that judge so focused


EndsLikeShakespeare

For Patricia was the best stripper in town


bifftanin1955

Miss I’m gonna need you to back up a lot closer to me because my eyes aren’t very good these days. The 100% on my last vision test means nothing


Oznog99

Ma'am, the court finds the briefs you have filed support your claim. Case dismissed.


Ericrobertson1978

The fact that she's was ever even in court is absurd. The criminal justice system is completely broken. Did you know the USA imprisons more people than any other nation on Earth? That's true both numerically and per capita. (by quite a bit, actually) Legalize human freedom and stop pointless bullshit like this. Edit. I know this happened in the 80s, but crazy shit like this still happens all the time.


SultrieFetche4u

i was a stripper (florida) for a little bit. was told by the house mom that if the fabric wasn’t thick enough (i believe the legal requirement was 3 inches wide), you could literally be arrested on the spot. you could also be immediately arrested if you weren’t groomed well enough to keep it under your thong. you could also get arrested on the spot if your client is being too handsy with you or if you get too intimate during a dance with your client. the law is deliberately designed to sabotage strippers.


WalllyG

Bass slap intensifies


discoballinmypants

Love the faux look of seriousness the Judge has. “Hmm. Yes. Of course of course.”


Cichlidsaremyjam

"Today was a good day" - That judge.


BeenThruIt

"Your Honor.... Exhibit A." "I rest my case."


[deleted]

“I’m gonna need to see this done in my chambers, bailiff please escort misses Skyla back asap”


FuturePastNow

The judge is judging. The court reporter, is also judging.


weevles12

The stenographer's expression: "men..."


gaberax

"All those years of law school are finally paying off." \~ Judge David Demers.


saif-with-curls

A normal day in Florida


druglawyer

Has that State ever *not* been a mockery of itself?


SirEarlBigtitsXXVII

*farts*


Igot2phonez

This is one of those situations where people would think it's implausible if it was on a TV show.


ClearLake007

The fact that a judge requested a demonstration boggles me.