The Advertiser: Lafayette attorney held in contempt of court for filming man’s mouth being taped shut

LAFAYETTE, La. (Ashley White/ The Advertiser)- Lafayette Judge Marilyn Castle found an attorney in contempt of court for filming a defendant in another case having his mouth taped shut by a bailiff. 

Castle, who serves in the Lafayette-based 15th judicial district, ordered public defender Michael Gregory to pay a $100 fine and cannot bring his cell phone, nor use someone else’s, to the Lafayette Parish courthouse for six months.

Cell phones are banned from courthouses in Louisiana expect by officers of the court, which includes attorneys. But filming, broadcasting or photographing inside a courtroom is prohibited. 

“This is not a pleasurable thing to do,” Castle said in the Friday hearing. “If I were to ignore it, I would be in violation of the rules.”

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