Tell It to the Judge

Well, actually, tell it to the ethics board. It used to be criminal defendants that resorted to things like the "twinkie defense." Today, however, Seminole County, Florida judge John Sloop told an ethics panel that undiagnosed attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder caused him to order 11 traffic offenders arrested. The 11 had failed to show up at the correct courtroom due to errors in their paperwork, a fact which court employees had made the judge aware of.

Judge Sloop says that he is "horrified" by his actions. The ethics panel may impose penalties ranging from a fine to removal from the bench.