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Judge of the Day: Susan Fornof-Lippencott

judge_lippencott.jpgThis county judge in Ohio is being honored with ATL Judge of the Day for her creative sentencing. Judge Susan Fornof-Lippencott sentenced a local man to… gasp, the horror, the horror… Beethoven!

From the Associated Press:

Andrew Vactor was facing a $150 fine for playing rap music too loudly on his car stereo in July. But a judge offered to reduce that to $35 if Vactor spent 20 hours listening to classical music by the likes of Bach, Beethoven and Chopin.

Vactor, 24, lasted only about 15 minutes, a probation officer said.

Vactor may not have been a fan of the classical tunes, but Nas appreciates Für Elise along with you, Judge Fornof-Lippencott.

Despite the classical sentence, she’s not too terribly high-brow. According to her bio, Judge Bach-inator is a farmer and participates in “West-Liberty Salem High School Mock Trials.” And Men’s News Daily reports that she has sentenced other offenders to episodes of Oprah and Dr. Phil. Now that’s harsh!

Judge sentences rap fan to Bach, Beethoven [Associated Press]
Rap music fan sentenced to Beethoven, pays fine instead [Men’s News Daily]

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 3:42 PM

Whatever. Judge Halverson could eat her for breakfast...

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 3:45 PM

Second

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 3:53 PM

Biotch you betta recognizzze Im a tap dat asssssssssssssssssssssssssss

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 3:55 PM

The sentence was racist. The judge should have imposed jazz instead.

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 3:58 PM

15 minutes? How did he only last 15 minutes? Surely he just had to sit there. Then again, depending on his means, he should probably pay $115 instead of doing 20 hours of anything.

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:04 PM

Totally inappropriate. Who does she think she is?

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:05 PM

Susan Fornof-LippencoTTT

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:15 PM

What about the fact that many classical composers wrote music that was highly political or religious? Surely there'd be a problem with her giving him the option of reading the Bible for 20 hours, or even books on Christianity in general. Is Bach that different?

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:16 PM

Why not a little of the old Ludwig Van?

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:16 PM

RING RING RING RING RING RING RING

BANANA PHONE

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:17 PM

This Judge should stop stealing ideas from Clockwork Orange

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:20 PM

Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now. As I slooshied, I knew such lovely pictures!

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13 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:21 PM

County in NY accidentally sent out 300 ballots allowing people to cast their votes for "Barack Osama."

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=728326

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:22 PM

Guys in my high school used to be d-bags and impose their uninspired mediocrity on the masses (and try to pass it off as "creative sentencing") all the time. It was no big deal ... until the masses revolted and voted them out of office.

Also, Kash - the good judge's name is spelled with two "f"s, not one (i.e. "Fornoff").

Frat Study

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:28 PM

Anyone know what limits there are on these types of alternative sentences? Depending on how much a fine or jail time is discounted, it seems like the choice aspect becomes just a cover for pushing a particular agenda. Doesn't appear to be the case here, I'm just curious if anyone knows what the rules are for this type of sentence.

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:31 PM

14 - That would be 3 "f"s

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:46 PM

Quick! Hit the circuit breaker! Along with the stock market, this site has totally crashed into the toilet today. Another post about Heller? A bunch of legal stories pulled from the cover of the Times? Snooze....... Snooze.......

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:49 PM

Farmer =/= high-brow? Since when?

Best regards,
Agribusiness

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:51 PM

16...WELL done...and I say that with as many F's as possible.

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:54 PM

20 hours for $115?

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:55 PM

20: It's roughly minimum wage.

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22 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:58 PM

Do the editors read these comments?

This country is in the middle of a financial meltdown of a lifetime. The implications for lawyers (especially corporate lawyers, who presumably are the target audience of the blog) will be staggering. What big clients will go under? What firms will benefit from the upheval by getting work doing deals and bankruptcies and reorganizations? What firms will lose out because the clients are now defunct? What are the implications for job seeking? How will the regulatory regime change? The list of significant issues arising from this crisis goes on, and on, and on.

I know this is not a serious blog. It is a tablod. A yellow rag. That is fine. The opportunity for salacious stuff in this crisis is huge, too. What firms pigged out on excess? What huge firm might blow up?

I scan my RSS looking for stories like this and instead all I see is crap that makes me yawn, like this is any old boring slow news day.

Disappointing.

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 4:59 PM

As soon as I read this post I knew Kash must have written it. Good job as usual.

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24 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 5:00 PM

Good point 21. -20

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 5:09 PM

Rap sucks. The penalty for blaring it from your car windows should be deportation to Greenland.

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26 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 5:33 PM

"Vactor may not have been a fan of the classical tunes, but Nas appreciates Für Elise along with you, Judge Fornof-Lippencott."

So Nas appreciates Fur Elise and Judge Fornoff? Oh wait, are we only supposed to rip on Elie for his horrible grammar?

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27 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 5:44 PM

great news everyone, i just "networked" with some of my "connections" and a partner at a v50 firm told me to email my resume to him on december 1 to set up an interview! i'd like to thank all the atl commenters for their assistance and kind words, i hope this is the first of many good things that go my way.

-nervous T-10 1L

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28 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 10, 2008 7:19 PM

To nervous T-10 1L: you are a toolbag of the highest order.

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29 Posted by guest | Permalink Sunday, October 12, 2008 3:05 PM

Beethoven is the only classical composer in the list; Bach is baroque, while Chopin is romantic. Get it right.

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30 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, October 13, 2008 10:40 AM

#9 wins 15 internets

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31 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, October 14, 2008 10:01 AM

Listening to music as a punishment- sounds like she needs to get herself directly to a bench in LA. I'm Paris, Britney and LiLo will chip in for a first class ticket.

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32 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, October 14, 2008 10:03 AM

***I'm Sure

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33 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, October 14, 2008 10:03 AM

***I'm Sure

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