Judge Allegedly Threatens From The Bench: 'If You Mess With My Son, I’ll Bust Your Ass.'

The judge didn't handle this well.

You often expect the utmost decorum in a courtroom. And even in cases where the participants lose their cool, the whole, you know, integrity of our judicial system kinda depends on judges’ ability to keep it together. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.

Judge Clifton S. Price II, a part-time municipal judge in Leeds, Alabama, is accused of threatening a traffic court defendant when they dared to bring up the judge’s son. You see, the defendant, appearing for allegedly driving on a suspended license, is a Waffle House employee (yes, this comes up later) and believed Judge Price’s son was involved in a hit-and-run incident that damaged her car (unrelated to the defendant’s appearance in court). Well, to be more specific, due to the credit card receipt for Price’s son’s meal, the defendant believes the son was the passenger in the hit-and-run. But as the defendant does not know the name of the driver, she told Judge Price she’d sue his son to find out the driver’s identity and that he should recuse himself from her suspended license case.

And, wow, Judge Price went bonkers (allegedly). ABA Journal describes the alleged scene — and you’ve got to read the whole thing, because it’s absolutely wild:

Price allegedly interrupted and told the defendant that, if she sued his son, he would sue “her ass.” The defendant said she had nothing against the judge’s son, but she had to know the name of the driver.

Price allegedly continued in a loud voice, saying, “Oh, yeah, I know who you are. You’re the lady that likes to flim-flam people.”

When the defendant said it isn’t true, Price allegedly replied, “If you sue my son, I will bust your ass.”

His face was very red, the complaint said.

During the continued discussion, Price said the defendant was a “goddamn liar,” the complaint said.

“Let me tell you something, lady,” Price allegedly said. “If you mess with my son, I’ll bust your ass. Do you hear me? I’ll bust your ass.”

Price asked the defendant whether she was the “Waffle woman” who tries to sue a lot of people, and the defendant said she does not. She said she only wanted the name of the driver.

Price finally gave the defendant the name of the driver while warning her not to mess with his son.

“You’re nothing but a scam flim-flam artist,” he said.

He told the woman that she could leave, and she would be given another judge.

After the incident, Price reportedly turned to the court clerk/chief magistrate and said, “I think I might have lost my cool.”

And, with understated brilliance, she replied, “You think?”

Now Price is facing an ethics charge that he exhibited “indecorous and discourteous behavior,” which is yet another delightful moment of understatement in this entire mess.

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headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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