'Tis the season for Top Ten lists, so here is one, in no particular order:
- When the judge tells the jury "You are bound by the oath that you took at the beginning of the trial to follow the instructions that I give you, even if you personally disagree with them."
- When the judge instructs the jury to follow what he tells them the law is when all he is doing is telling them what is his opinion on what the law is.
- When the judge disallows a party to present a certified copy of a constitution, statute, code, regulation, or court decision to the jury as a "misstatement of the law".
- When the judge instructs the jury that "if the defendant did X then you must find him guilty of X".
- When the judge quotes anything as "the law" except a constitution or statute, such as the U.S. Code, a regulation, or an administrative instruction.
- When the judge says he is bound by oath to follow precedent.
- When the judge holds any constitutional argument, or an argument he disagrees with, or finds inconvenient, to be "frivolous".
- When he calls what he has empaneled a "grand jury" whose members are not selected at random.
- When he says he is trying to be fair but only socializes with prosecutors, and probably was one.
- When he gives speeches or writes opinions obviously designed to appeal to those who might appoint him to a higher judicial office.
Could come up with a few hundred more, but that will do for now.
