Thanks for reminding me of Judge Harold Baker of the Eastern District of Illinois and later the Central District. I tried a jury trial in his courtroom in Danville, Illinois a lifetime ago.
I was cross-examining the defendant in a trade secrets/restrictive covenant case when the witness volunteered some baloney about being a Sunday School teacher. Hoping he would answer that he was a blue druid or something similar, I asked what church he attended. He said that he was a Lutheran.
I had the presence of mind to say, "that’s my church too. But in my congregation we honor the contracts that we have signed. Is your church different?"
Of course, opposing counsel objected and Judge Baker sustained the objection. But he did it with a chuckle and beaming a smile for me.
Thanks for reminding me of Judge Harold Baker of the Eastern District of Illinois and later the Central District. I tried a jury trial in his courtroom in Danville, Illinois a lifetime ago.
I was cross-examining the defendant in a trade secrets/restrictive covenant case when the witness volunteered some baloney about being a Sunday School teacher. Hoping he would answer that he was a blue druid or something similar, I asked what church he attended. He said that he was a Lutheran.
I had the presence of mind to say, "that’s my church too. But in my congregation we honor the contracts that we have signed. Is your church different?"
Of course, opposing counsel objected and Judge Baker sustained the objection. But he did it with a chuckle and beaming a smile for me.
Good judge.
A fun dive into history, and appreciate that it goes beyond a few interesting data points to some deeper historical tidbits as well.
Just curious, is there a dataset you're working with to get these numbers? If so, is it publicly accessible?