INSIDE EDITION talks to Judge Larry Seidlin about a growing trend of people mouthing off to judges in court, only to find that it comes at a heavy price.
It's the courtroom smackdown caught on tape the whole nation is talking about.
The video showed a giggling woman sass mouthing a Miami judge. After dismissing the young woman, she said, "Adios" in a sassy tone — but the judge did not laugh with her.
He slapped her with $10,000 bail.
As she walked away, she actually gave him the finger and cursed. In response to her gesture, the judge found her in contempt of court and sentenced her to 30 days in county jail.
The judge is now being praised for his reaction to being sassed by 18-year-old Penelope Soto, who was charged with illegally possessing the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.
On CBS This Morning, Norah O'Donnell said, "Don't get into it with that judge," while Gayle King said, "I like that judge."
INSIDE EDITION spoke to former Florida judge Larry Seidlin, who memorably wept on the bench during a 2007 hearing over who should get custody of model Anna Nicole Smith's body.
"Why would you want to piss off that judge? That mean's you're a meatball!" he said.
The judge did the right thing, Seidlin said. "If I were sitting there as a judge I'd want to hang her, but obviously you can't conduct yourself like that as a judge."
Unfortunately, mouthing off to judges seems to be a growing problem.
Detroit judge Vonda Evans recently erupted at a convicted child killer after he called her a liar and used her first name as he was being led away to jail.
The video showed Judge Evans' reaction with her saying, "Excuse me, don't address me as Vonda. Take him out of here! Take him out!"
Remember when troubled actress Lindsay Lohan painted an obscene word on her fingernails during a court hearing?
A woman in Kentucky tried to attack a judge during a hearing on domestic violence charges.
"When you're in a courtroom, it is somewhat of a dangerous situation setting because you have a lot of people there that are a little whacked out. I used to wear a gun on my ankle because I wanted one last shot if there was a problem," Seidlin said.
Fortunately, things never reached that point between the sassy defendant and the judge who lowered the boom.
