Judge Orders White Lawyers Out of Court

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington ordered white lawyers out of his courtroom so that he could speak directly to the young black defendants present.  Judge Arrington now admits it was a mistake to exclude the lawyers, but he said he was not thinking about racism.  He said "I didn't want them to think I was talking down to them; trying to embarrass them or insult them; be derogatory towards them and I was just saying 'Please get yourself together.'"  For more information about this story, you can click here and here (includes a video interview with Judge Arrington).  For commentary check out the most recent post on the Appellate Law & Practice blog.  We can all question the wisdom of sermonizing from the bench or separating client from counsel, but I'm curious if any of the lawyers excluded have actually complained of racial discrimination.--Counseller