Chad Ochoclinko

Former NFL star Chad Johnson (known as Chad Ochocinco for a time during his playing days) was sentenced to 30 days in jail for a probation violation in a domestic violence case (he head-butted his wife). Johnson was set to serve no jail time, thanks to a plea bargain. But the judge rejected the deal after Johnson slapped his attorney’s backside when the judge asked him if he was satisfied with his representation and put in a good word for the attorney.

At that point, the judge, Kathleen McHugh, lashed out:

I don’t know that you’re taking this whole thing seriously. I just saw you slap your attorney on the backside. Is there something funny about this? The whole courtroom was laughing. I’m not going to accept these plea negotiations. This isn’t a joke.

Johnson apologized, but Judge McHugh wasn’t buying it. “It’s not the first time he’s behaved that way in my courtroom,” she reportedly said.

Johnson was handcuffed and taken to jail.

You can make a case that the judge overreacted. But Johnson, an avid soccer fan, surely knows that when you offend authority, you risk receiving a card.

Below is video of the proceeding and Stephen A. Smith’s showman’s take on the matter. Below that is video of Judge McHugh explaining her credentials before the Tea Party when she ran for judge. Keep watching to hear her address (or dance around) a question regarding domestic surveillance and denounce Sharia law.

I would have been inclined to vote for her. I would not have been inclined to act playfully in her court room.

Here is the judge campaigning.

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