ET PHONE HOME- JUST NOT FROM FEDERAL COURT

With apologies to Dr Seuss...

You can take your phone onto a boat
You can take your phone onto a plane
You can take your phone onto a train

You can take your phone in your car
You can take your phone near or far

But unless you're a lawyer
You cannot take your phone into federal court 

You can take your phone into State Court 
You can take your phone onto centre court 
You can take your phone up high on Mt. Everest
You can take your phone and SCUBA down low 

But unless you're a lawyer
You cannot take your phone into federal court. 

Why? 

Are they afraid people will order Uber Eats? 
Or phone a friend for a lifeline? 

Perhaps they will access the web and do some legal research;
Query: Can a judge consider conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted for the purposes of sentencing? 
YES!!!!

It's time for the Feds to join the digital revolution and lighten up Francis*  and let people take their cell phones into the courthouse. It does not mean they will actually (gasp) take a picture in federal court- which we all know is the equivalent of throwing a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch. 

"I'll get you my pretty. You and that little cell-phone of yours."

Thoughts? But whatever you do, if you're not a lawyer, don't use your phone to write a comment if you're in "never-never" land. OZ. 

* Stripes References 

** A previous version of this post had typos rarely seen, giving you, the long-time and careful readers of the blog a rare insight into the creative process of Rumpole and how the sausage is made. 
If you somehow saved a version of that mistake, much like the Inverted Jenny ***, you may have something valuable. 


*** A rare philatical****reference. 

**** A philatelist collects stamps. 



*Stripes Reference