Bob CollinsIt’s been a struggle around here to get the court system to get with the times and allow cameras in the courtroom.
Among other things, it might ruin the dignity of the proceedings, opponents say.
But in Florida, a camera also helped get a bad judge removed from the bench.
South Florida Judge Merrilee Ehrlich retires at 5 p.m. today, after failing to muster up an ounce of human dignity while berating a defendant who was charged with getting into an argument with her daughter.
The judge didn’t want to hear anything about the woman’s asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A few days later, the woman died in her sleep, the Florida Sun Sentinel.
Judge Ehrlich moved up her retirement by a few months after widespread criticism for her behavior. In her announcement today, she mentioned nothing about the incident.
