Unintentional humor in the courtroom

By WND Staff

Think of sworn courtroom testimony and you probably imagine very sober and dry questions and responses. But along with the millions of hours of serious legal proceedings recorded forever by profesional court reporters is a storehouse of hilarious bloopers — now chronicled in two volumes by Mary Louise Gilman, editor of the National Shorthand Reporter.

Her first book, “Humor in the Courtroom,” was published in 1977. Just released this year is volume two, “More Humor in the Courtroom.” Here are are some excerpts:

Q. Did you ever stay all night with this man in New York?

A. I refuse to answer that question.

Q. Did you ever stay all night with this man in Chicago?

A. I refuse to answer that question.

Q. Did you ever stay all night with this man in Miami?

A. No.

Q. Now, Mrs. Johnson, how was your first marriage terminated?

A. By death.

Q. And by whose death was it terminated?

Q. Doctor, did you say he was shot in the woods?

A. No, I said he was shot in the lumbar region.

Q. What is your name?

A. Ernestine McDowell.

Q. And what is your marital status?

A. Fair.

Q. Are you married?

A. No, I’m divorced.

Q. And what did your husband do before you divorced him?

A. A lot of things I didn’t know about.

Q. And who is this person you are speaking of?

A. My ex-widow said it.

Q. How did you happen to go to Dr. Cherney?

A. Well, a gal down the road had had several of her children by Dr.

Cherney, and said he was really good.

Q. Do you know how far pregnant you are right now?

A. I will be three months November 8th.

Q. Apparently then, the date of conception was August 8th?

A. Yes.

Q. What were you and your husband doing at that time?

Q. Mrs. Smith, do you believe that you are emotionally unstable?

A. I should be.

Q. How many times have you committed suicide?

A. Four times.

Q. Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?

A. All my autopsies have been performed on dead people.

Q. Were you aquatinted with the deceased?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Before or after he died?

Q. Officer, what led you to believe the defendant was under the

influence?

A. Because he was argumentary and he couldn’t pronunciate his words.

Q. What happened then?

A. He told me, he says, “I have to kill you because you can identify

me.”

Q. Did he kill you?

A. No.

Q. Mrs. Jones, is your appearance this morning pursuant to a deposition

notice which I sent to your attorney?

A. No. This is how I dress when I go to work.

THE COURT: Now, as we begin, I must ask you to banish all present

information and prejudice from your minds, if you have any.

Q. Did he pick the dog up by the ears?

A. No.

Q. What was he doing with the dog’s ears?

A. Picking them up in the air.

Q. Where was the dog at this time?

A. Attached to the ears.

Q. When he went, had you gone and had she, if she wanted to and were

able, for the time being excluding all the restraints on her not to

go, gone also, would he have brought you, meaning you and she, with

him to the station?

MR. BROOKS: Objection. That question should be taken out and shot.

Q. And lastly, Gary, all your responses must be oral. O.K.? What school

do you go to?

A. Oral.

Q. How old are you?

A. Oral.

Q. What is your relationship with the plaintiff?

A. She is my daughter.

Q. Was she your daughter on February 13, 1979?

Q. Now, you have investigated other murders, have you not, where there

was a victim?

Q. …and what did he do then?

A. He came home, and next morning he was dead.

Q. So when he woke up the next morning he was dead?

Q. So, after the anesthesia, when you came out of it, what did you

observe with respect to your scalp?

A. I didn’t see my scalp the whole time I was in the hospital.

Q. It was covered?

A. Yes, bandaged.

Q. Then, later on.. what did you see?

A. I had a skin graft. My whole buttocks and leg were removed and put on

top of my head.

Q. Could you see him from where you were standing?

A. I could see his head.

Q. And where was his head?

A. Just above his shoulders.

Q. Do you drink when you’re on duty?

A. I don’t drink when I’m on duty, unless I come on duty drunk.

Q. …any suggestions as to what prevented this from being a murder

trial instead of an attempted murder trial?

A. The victim lived.

Q. Are you sexually active?

A. No, I just lie there.

Q. Are you qualified to give a urine sample?

A. Yes, I have been since early childhood.

Q. The truth of the matter is that you were not an unbiased, objective

witness, isn’t it. You too were shot in the fracas?

A. No, sir. I was shot midway between the fracas and the naval.

Q. What is the meaning of sperm being present?

A. It indicates intercourse.

Q. Male sperm?

A. That is the only kind I know.

Q. (Showing man picture.) That’s you?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. And you were present when the picture was taken, right?

(Compilation courtesy of Tom and Kelsey Ambrose)