FATHERS AND CHILDREN COALITION: The judge went ballistic because he assumed, among other things, that pastor Hage published an artile in the local on-line news outlet, PutnamLIVE.com, about Judge Watkins’ late payments to the condominium where he lives. The judge was wrong: it was the publisher of PutnamLIVE, who wrote the article, entirely on his own volition. Judge Watkins screams at the pastor, “I will personally make sure that you will never see a free day in your life! You are going to jail!” While the pastor is silent, the Judge repeatedly screams, “Shut up!”
What makes it different this time, is that there is a video of this Judge’s abuse of power. (Now you know why New York Courts guard themselves from cameras in the courtroom, as if video cameras were machine guns aimed straight at them.) He acts like a sadistic tyrant, enjoying unlimited power to abuse a litigant. He makes these threats before starting the proceeding, probably mistakenly assuming that the video is not on until he begins the proceeding “officially.”
In addition to screaming at pastor Art Hage, Putnam Family Law Judge William M. “Chip” Watkins III will have to answer why he ordered Paul D. Bentley, one of the minister’s parishioners, out of the courthouse… (more)
Reminds me of my early days in Lancaster court.
It would be useful if all people who had been abused in court by the likes of judge Watkins (see video above) would stop by and leave a comment to that effect at http://fathers-and-children-coalition.blogspot.com/2012/06/video-judge-verbally-abusing.html
With that information in hand, we can go to the elected officials, court administrators, and legislative committees on the judiciary.