Unlike the high-stakes drama of Judge Judy or Suits, real-life courtrooms are usually far less exciting. There are no intense showdowns or shocking plot twists. Just routine procedures and formalities. At least, most of the time.
On rare occasions, law officials come across cases that are anything but ordinary. And thanks to this fascinating Reddit thread, they’ve shared some of the strangest ones. Witchcraft, drunk horse driving—it’s all there.
Read their accounts below, but fair warning: some of these stories might leave you a little shaken.
#1
I'm a lawyer considering whether to someday be a judge.
Boyfriend gets dumped in spring, stalks ex-girlfriend for 9 months. He's known to have an obsessive interest in b*mbs and explosives, and is a significant m***head. In December, he delivers a package to ex-girlfriend. There's no return address, but it says "MERRY XMAS B***H", so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who sent it. Ex calls the cops, who call the b*mb squad, who open the package. Inside is a large vibrator that's been hollowed out and filled with explosives. He apparently assumed that she would eagerly use it and blow herself up. This is how you know that men and women think differently...
Boyfriend gets dumped in spring, stalks ex-girlfriend for 9 months. He's known to have an obsessive interest in b*mbs and explosives, and is a significant m***head. In December, he delivers a package to ex-girlfriend. There's no return address, but it says "MERRY XMAS B***H", so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who sent it. Ex calls the cops, who call the b*mb squad, who open the package. Inside is a large vibrator that's been hollowed out and filled with explosives. He apparently assumed that she would eagerly use it and blow herself up. This is how you know that men and women think differently...
129points
#2
Obligatory “not a judge”, but...
Had my first argument before the Second Circuit, so obviously fairly nervous. The case before me had a very generic name, think “Smith vs. Generic Insurance Corp.” Figured it was going to be dull...
But instead, it turned out that the issue was that Mrs. Smith, a widow, had her husband’s life insurance payment denied.
Why? Husband was an engineer of some sort and had constructed a device to... pleasure himself. He plugged said device into a wall socket on to... “enjoy”... on Easter Sunday, while his family was out, but unfortunately was electrocuted and died. (And presumably was found by his poor family on Easter, pantsless and plugged into the wall).
The insurer tried to deny benefits based on an exclusion for “intentional self-harm.” Cue a solid 20 minutes of the insurer’s lawyer being grilled by very staid and conservative judges as to whether the poor guy actually *intended* to harm himself, or, as one judge put it very mildly... “it seems the deceased intended... well... the opposite.” And the insurer lawyer struggling to articulate why self-harm and sexual pleasure are not always mutually exclusive.
From the questions, it seemed like the widow was likely to win. But man was that awkward for everyone involved.
Had my first argument before the Second Circuit, so obviously fairly nervous. The case before me had a very generic name, think “Smith vs. Generic Insurance Corp.” Figured it was going to be dull...
But instead, it turned out that the issue was that Mrs. Smith, a widow, had her husband’s life insurance payment denied.
Why? Husband was an engineer of some sort and had constructed a device to... pleasure himself. He plugged said device into a wall socket on to... “enjoy”... on Easter Sunday, while his family was out, but unfortunately was electrocuted and died. (And presumably was found by his poor family on Easter, pantsless and plugged into the wall).
The insurer tried to deny benefits based on an exclusion for “intentional self-harm.” Cue a solid 20 minutes of the insurer’s lawyer being grilled by very staid and conservative judges as to whether the poor guy actually *intended* to harm himself, or, as one judge put it very mildly... “it seems the deceased intended... well... the opposite.” And the insurer lawyer struggling to articulate why self-harm and sexual pleasure are not always mutually exclusive.
From the questions, it seemed like the widow was likely to win. But man was that awkward for everyone involved.
92points
#3
Also not a judge, but I work with a psychologist who does some work in mental hospitals and has to testify as to whether they should or should not be released. Court is over the phone right now because of Covid, so I was privy to the little exchange.
My boss's patient is schizophrenic and was refusing his medication. My boss was testifying as to why he shouldn't be released (violent to his family, active psychosis), much to the patient's displeasure. The patient starts yelling, "Man, I wanna get out of here! It's so nasty. They got SNAKES in here."
The judge replied, "Sir, the quickest way to get released is to comply with your medication. And the medication will also help you with your snake problem....".
My boss's patient is schizophrenic and was refusing his medication. My boss was testifying as to why he shouldn't be released (violent to his family, active psychosis), much to the patient's displeasure. The patient starts yelling, "Man, I wanna get out of here! It's so nasty. They got SNAKES in here."
The judge replied, "Sir, the quickest way to get released is to comply with your medication. And the medication will also help you with your snake problem....".
75points
Perhaps it’s a good thing that real law is much more predictable than fiction—these incidents are rare for a reason. Living in a world where they were commonplace would be far more unsettling.
Still, it’s hard not to be intrigued by these cases, especially the violent ones. They make us question what leads someone down this path and what’s running through their mind when it happens.
Seeking answers, Bored Panda spoke with Ryo Sawada, a Master’s student in forensic psychology at the University of Greenwich, UK.
According to Sawada, violent behavior doesn’t have a single explanation. It can be influenced by various biological, cultural, and environmental factors. “These can range from brain injuries or abnormalities in impulse control (biological), to toxic masculinity (cultural), or the normalization of violence when someone is exposed to it frequently in childhood (environmental),” he said.
#4
I went to court for a traffic ticket in the state of Mississippi. I was working a project out there. What I found weird is the judge’s ruling on two different cases. First was a woman who wrecked her car, had a child not in a baby car seat, dui, and possession of a controlled substance. He gave her a year probation. No jail time. Next was a lady who’s son had been skipping school and missed X amount of days. Something like 34 days. He put the mother in cuffs right then and there and ordered her to spend the same amount of days in jail that she had “allowed” her son to miss school. I didn’t say anything but I’m pretty sure the look on my face was “wtf”.
70points
#5
A little late to the show.....and not a judge....but here’s my strange court related incident.
I was in court for a dog without a leash citation, and to start things off, the judge quiets the room for briefing. She does her spiel and directly after the bailiff walks from the rear of the courtroom up to the bench, leans in to whisper something and hands her an object.
The judges face turns toward us and asks the bailiff, “Where is he!?” “Please come to the stand!”
As a gentleman approaches, the sounds of p**n start playing from the phone that the bailiff handed the judge.
“You have the audacity to watch p**n in my courtroom while I’m briefing everyone!? I can’t believe this...this is a first....” proclaimed the judge.
I don’t quite remember what the charges against the “p**n watcher” were initially but the judge added 72 hours for contempt of court.
I was in court for a dog without a leash citation, and to start things off, the judge quiets the room for briefing. She does her spiel and directly after the bailiff walks from the rear of the courtroom up to the bench, leans in to whisper something and hands her an object.
The judges face turns toward us and asks the bailiff, “Where is he!?” “Please come to the stand!”
As a gentleman approaches, the sounds of p**n start playing from the phone that the bailiff handed the judge.
“You have the audacity to watch p**n in my courtroom while I’m briefing everyone!? I can’t believe this...this is a first....” proclaimed the judge.
I don’t quite remember what the charges against the “p**n watcher” were initially but the judge added 72 hours for contempt of court.
66points
#6
Worked in LE for a long while. Escorted an inmate to court for his dismemberment and murder charges trial. He chose to represent himself. Context: was infatuated with Charles Manson and cults. Started one that preyed on mentally unstable/ handicap women and [unalived] them if they tried to leave. This poor girl with autism wanted to go home. He [unalived] her with his followers help, chopped her up, and burned the pieces in a dumpster.
His opening statement was something along the lines of "Ladies and gentlemen of the court I just want to clarify that things being inserted into my butt are going to come up in this trial. I'm not gay. I just liked it." The judge said what the f**k, but caught himself before dropping the f-b**b. Everyone in the courtroom laughed at him. It was thrown out and he went for mental health screenings.
I don't miss LE work... at all. I did accrue a s**t load of stories though.
His opening statement was something along the lines of "Ladies and gentlemen of the court I just want to clarify that things being inserted into my butt are going to come up in this trial. I'm not gay. I just liked it." The judge said what the f**k, but caught himself before dropping the f-b**b. Everyone in the courtroom laughed at him. It was thrown out and he went for mental health screenings.
I don't miss LE work... at all. I did accrue a s**t load of stories though.
63points
At the same time, some people who resort to violence experience cognitive distortions. These are irrational or exaggerated thoughts that distort their perception of reality.
“Minimization, for instance, makes offenders downplay the harm they’ve caused (‘It wasn’t that bad’),” said Sawada. “Similarly, entitlement convinces them they had the right to act that way (‘I’m better, so I can do this’). These distortions are commonly seen in violent offenders, including those involved in sexual offenses.”
However, cognitive distortions aren’t exclusive to violent behavior. They can appear in various contexts, such as anxiety, depression, or even everyday situations. One example is ‘all-or-nothing thinking,’ where someone views themselves as either a complete success or an absolute failure.
#7
Not a judge, but just remembered this. I was in traffic court because I was a dumb teenager. The case before me was a guy accused of drunk driving. He, in all seriousness, told the judge that the reason his car was swerving wasn't due to intoxication but due to him trying to open a beer bottle with his teeth while driving.
So at least the judge was in a good mood when it was my turn...(he was still laughing at that guy).
So at least the judge was in a good mood when it was my turn...(he was still laughing at that guy).
59points
#8
I went on a field trip to the court house and two cases were scheduled that day. The first one was assault and the guy said he didn’t whip the ball at his head he only threw it. Second person walked in wearing the things she said she didn’t steal.
57points
#9
Well, I'm not a judge but I was in traffic court once and the following exchange happened:
"So Miss [defendant] you're here for a... seat cushion violation? Is that even a thing?"
"Apparently your honour, the officer said I was too short"
(Long discussion with the state attorney and judge followed, they had white noise but you could see the judge was clearly thinking this was an idiotic ticket).
"How tall are you Miss?"
"About 5 feet"
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of, case dismissed".
I looked it up later, there is a real restriction in Florida to say you need a raised seat if you are very short to see over the steering wheel but this is presumably for people with dwarfism or other such conditions rather than petite women.
Edit: apparently this is no longer a thing, the state must have thought it was stupid also.
"So Miss [defendant] you're here for a... seat cushion violation? Is that even a thing?"
"Apparently your honour, the officer said I was too short"
(Long discussion with the state attorney and judge followed, they had white noise but you could see the judge was clearly thinking this was an idiotic ticket).
"How tall are you Miss?"
"About 5 feet"
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of, case dismissed".
I looked it up later, there is a real restriction in Florida to say you need a raised seat if you are very short to see over the steering wheel but this is presumably for people with dwarfism or other such conditions rather than petite women.
Edit: apparently this is no longer a thing, the state must have thought it was stupid also.
56points
Research suggests that people who commit crimes tend to share certain personality traits like low agreeableness and conscientiousness, paired with high neuroticism and extroversion.
Adding to this, Sawada noted that forensic psychologists look at the Dark Tetrad, a group of four dark personality traits regularly identified in offenders:
- Narcissism (“The world is mine; I deserve more!”)
- Machiavellianism (Manipulating others like chess pieces for personal gain)
- Psychopathy (A lack of empathy and fear, often paired with charm)
- Sadism (Deriving pleasure from inflicting pain)
“These traits are not mental disorders like Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD),” Sawada clarified, “but they can become triggers when combined with factors like substance use or high levels of stress.”
#10
Studied forensics, and a defence lawyer told me this story.
He is called to defend a client who accused of robbing a garage in a nearby city. Police found his fingerprints in a coke machine. Yes, IN a coke machine. As in the disassembled a vending machine and dusted it, and found a print on an internal component.
Oh, here’s the catch. The suspect was currently serving a prison sentence at the time of the crime....
So this was the prosecutor’s theory: suspect had broken out of jail, drove 2 hours to that garage, burglarized it, opened up the coke machine, left his fingerprint inside it and nowhere else, reassembled it, drove back 2 hours, and snuck back in jail.
Surprisingly this case didn’t get tossed out laughing and actually went to court. The good news for the suspect is that his lawyer discovered that before his incarceration he happened to work for the business that maintained the coke machine, so he was trying to explain the fingerprint by saying it could have been left there went the suspect performed maintenance.
He hired a fingerprint expert, who was able to demonstrate that police used the wrong method for lifting a print.
He is called to defend a client who accused of robbing a garage in a nearby city. Police found his fingerprints in a coke machine. Yes, IN a coke machine. As in the disassembled a vending machine and dusted it, and found a print on an internal component.
Oh, here’s the catch. The suspect was currently serving a prison sentence at the time of the crime....
So this was the prosecutor’s theory: suspect had broken out of jail, drove 2 hours to that garage, burglarized it, opened up the coke machine, left his fingerprint inside it and nowhere else, reassembled it, drove back 2 hours, and snuck back in jail.
Surprisingly this case didn’t get tossed out laughing and actually went to court. The good news for the suspect is that his lawyer discovered that before his incarceration he happened to work for the business that maintained the coke machine, so he was trying to explain the fingerprint by saying it could have been left there went the suspect performed maintenance.
He hired a fingerprint expert, who was able to demonstrate that police used the wrong method for lifting a print.
53points
#11
Not a judge, but I was going to court as a witness for my neighbor who was seeking a protection order. While we were there we heard several other cases being heard.
In one case, a man was accused of beating his 14-year-old daughter and dragging her out of the car while he hit her on the ground. Mother of the child presents her case and the judge turns to the father and gives him the opportunity to present his case, and asks what happened on that day in the car.
“Well you see the day before...”
“No, I want to hear what happened that day in the car.”
“My daughter has been gettin B’s in school so...”
“No, what happened in the car?”
“She has been texting boys, so...”
“No”
“SHE HIT ME FIRST”
He never really gave a straight answer, but the judge ruled against him. At the next case, there was a similar dynamic of separated parents arguing over a child, and there wasn’t a lot of evidence of a physical danger so the judge said a protection order wasn’t necessary and recommended they deal with it in family court.
Guy from the first case was still around filling out paperwork and started cheering, and the bailiff told him to knock it off. Guy 1 says that he’s from California and cheering is normal in court, and that this court is just racist. This guy was black, the judge was black, the bailiff was black, and pretty much most people on both sides of each case were black.
In one case, a man was accused of beating his 14-year-old daughter and dragging her out of the car while he hit her on the ground. Mother of the child presents her case and the judge turns to the father and gives him the opportunity to present his case, and asks what happened on that day in the car.
“Well you see the day before...”
“No, I want to hear what happened that day in the car.”
“My daughter has been gettin B’s in school so...”
“No, what happened in the car?”
“She has been texting boys, so...”
“No”
“SHE HIT ME FIRST”
He never really gave a straight answer, but the judge ruled against him. At the next case, there was a similar dynamic of separated parents arguing over a child, and there wasn’t a lot of evidence of a physical danger so the judge said a protection order wasn’t necessary and recommended they deal with it in family court.
Guy from the first case was still around filling out paperwork and started cheering, and the bailiff told him to knock it off. Guy 1 says that he’s from California and cheering is normal in court, and that this court is just racist. This guy was black, the judge was black, the bailiff was black, and pretty much most people on both sides of each case were black.
50points
#12
Not a judge, but in the US Navy I was a legal officer on a ship. My Captain has the ability to administer punishment for violating military law. We had a Sailor who broke the law and after the Captain found him guilty, the Sailor said he would jump overboard. No one took him seriously and sure enough, he went out to the weather deck and jumped right in the ocean. We had to recover him with one of our small boats and he threatened to do it again...and did do it again a week later.
49points
For the most part, psychologists agree that violence is a learned behavior, which means it can also be unlearned.
One way to address this is by developing conflict resolution skills to prevent disagreements from escalating into aggression. “Start with simple steps, like avoiding blame or ‘pointing fingers,’” Sawada encouraged. “The key is: stay calm, listen and understand, express your feelings, brainstorm solutions, and finally, agree and move forward.”
Another approach is empathy training, which helps people connect with and understand the emotions of others. Studies have shown that this technique can significantly reduce aggression, particularly among young offenders.
For those who need additional support, therapy can be a valuable resource. “Seeking help is not embarrassing, that’s exactly what we psychologists are here for,” said Sawada.
#13
Somebody before me went up to the judge and was charged with 23 counts of unlawful detention of an alligator. Yeah, even the judge found it absolutely f*****g hilarious.
49points
#14
Not a judge, but my mom had to go to court once because our dog caught and ate a rabbit. We were charged with "endangering wildlife". When the case was called judge laughed and threw the charges out.
48points
#15
Not a judge; brother-in-law was clerk of the court for most of a decade.
Dude comes in with an indecent exposure charge; he was walking around the local Target in super shorty shorts, and his lil’ Shortie was longer than the shorts. Okay, this is supposedly fairly straightforward- slap on the wrist and get told to buy longer shorts.
Except it turns out this isn’t this guy’s first rodeo. In fact, it’s his TWENTY-FIFTH rodeo. Dude is an exhibitionist, and this was his MO. He was already banned from all retail establishments in half the counties in the state, and a handful of counties in the neighboring states. At this point he’d had so many convictions that he was looking at 25 to life for f****n’ indecent exposure.
Oddly enough, there was another indecent exposure case involving the other local Target a week later. Dude was standing up in the open bed of his pickup at 2am, cranking it in the Target parking lot.
Dude comes in with an indecent exposure charge; he was walking around the local Target in super shorty shorts, and his lil’ Shortie was longer than the shorts. Okay, this is supposedly fairly straightforward- slap on the wrist and get told to buy longer shorts.
Except it turns out this isn’t this guy’s first rodeo. In fact, it’s his TWENTY-FIFTH rodeo. Dude is an exhibitionist, and this was his MO. He was already banned from all retail establishments in half the counties in the state, and a handful of counties in the neighboring states. At this point he’d had so many convictions that he was looking at 25 to life for f****n’ indecent exposure.
Oddly enough, there was another indecent exposure case involving the other local Target a week later. Dude was standing up in the open bed of his pickup at 2am, cranking it in the Target parking lot.
48points
#16
My father was a judge. A police officer burned her wife and two kids alive, he was caught later that day. That was one of the most horrible cases he ever presided over.
47points
#17
Not a judge but grand jury, which is where mainly the police testify for indictment on people they've arrested, no judge just DA.
In one officer was in the police station parking lot when a vehicle screeched into the parking lot next to him and a guy jumped out freaking out about how he had taken all these d***s and was now dying. Left vehicle door open, lots of d***s in plain sight, and the guy was fine he just panicked for a minute. Easiest arrest that officer ever had, also easiest indictment.
In one officer was in the police station parking lot when a vehicle screeched into the parking lot next to him and a guy jumped out freaking out about how he had taken all these d***s and was now dying. Left vehicle door open, lots of d***s in plain sight, and the guy was fine he just panicked for a minute. Easiest arrest that officer ever had, also easiest indictment.
43points
#18
Not a Judge but worked in a courthouse for a summer doing probate work.
The weirdest case I saw was one where a 60 some odd years old woman believed herself to be the reincarnation of the archangel Gabriel.
She tried to murder her neighbors by trying to get in through their back door doogie door while naked and armed with a butter knife.
The weirdest case I saw was one where a 60 some odd years old woman believed herself to be the reincarnation of the archangel Gabriel.
She tried to murder her neighbors by trying to get in through their back door doogie door while naked and armed with a butter knife.
43points
#19
Obviously not a judge BUT I sat in on court proceedings once.
An off duty Police Officer was arrested for driving drunk in the city she worked in. The arguments made by her defense were incredible. First one was that no RN had taken the officers blood. Which a hospital representative clarified this is normal. Reiterated that for something this simple they can have residents/trainees do this as part of their learning. Second one was that the BAC content was higher because the alcohol was fermenting in the bag. That the exposure to air increased this process, thus raising the tested level. Which was promptly shut down by an expert testifying that is not how it works. That alcohol doesn’t continue to ferment and produce higher numbers from a blood sample over time. Finally his last ditch effort! He tried saying the blood was tampered with and/or not tested correctly. There was a chain of custody provided and everything else that was needed to debunk this.
The officer looked very defeated by the end of our sit in. The judge basically had to tell the defense to put something better together. Finally even the judge got tired of this “see what sticks” approach and shut it down.
An off duty Police Officer was arrested for driving drunk in the city she worked in. The arguments made by her defense were incredible. First one was that no RN had taken the officers blood. Which a hospital representative clarified this is normal. Reiterated that for something this simple they can have residents/trainees do this as part of their learning. Second one was that the BAC content was higher because the alcohol was fermenting in the bag. That the exposure to air increased this process, thus raising the tested level. Which was promptly shut down by an expert testifying that is not how it works. That alcohol doesn’t continue to ferment and produce higher numbers from a blood sample over time. Finally his last ditch effort! He tried saying the blood was tampered with and/or not tested correctly. There was a chain of custody provided and everything else that was needed to debunk this.
The officer looked very defeated by the end of our sit in. The judge basically had to tell the defense to put something better together. Finally even the judge got tired of this “see what sticks” approach and shut it down.
41points
#20
I'm not a judge but have to go to court a lot for work.
I deal with a lot of weird stuff in life and sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream. That or a "simulation" as people like to say because there is no way life is so weird.
Anyway, this little guy gets up and introduces himself to the judge, while his lawyer is standing by him, and says, "Hi your honor, my name is Precious Love, and this is my lawyer, Counselor Frankenstein" and I just stared at them thinking I had gone crazy.
I deal with a lot of weird stuff in life and sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream. That or a "simulation" as people like to say because there is no way life is so weird.
Anyway, this little guy gets up and introduces himself to the judge, while his lawyer is standing by him, and says, "Hi your honor, my name is Precious Love, and this is my lawyer, Counselor Frankenstein" and I just stared at them thinking I had gone crazy.
40points