The shady side of Judge Joe Brown

Despite repeated warnings that legal action would be taken against him if he didn’t quiet down during his in-court outburst, Brown reportedly escalated his verbal attack against Juvenile Court Magistrate Judge Harold Horne. “Excuse me, on what authority do you sit by the way?” he asked Horne, as evidenced by court records obtained by E! News. He reportedly challenged, “As a former judge here, we have a rule in the 30th Judicial District — it says every single Magistrate Referee has to be unanimously approved by every Circuit, Chancery, and Criminal Court Judge.”

Brown’s tirade continued as he became increasingly disrespectful, claiming, “I don’t recall that your name’s ever been submitted, sir. This tribunal on a General Sessions Court’s authority is insufficient to establish you. Therefore, I challenge your authority to hear it.” With Horne summoning the bailiffs, Brown continued, “Go find the law or I’m reporting you to the Court of 3 Judiciary. I’ll have you charged with violation of process. … This sorry operation needs to stop.” From there, the bizarre exchange saw Horne sentencing Brown to time behind bars, with additional days being added as he continued making rude comments. The tally was at four days when Brown taunted, “You don’t have the jurisdiction I had to do it. You’ve got to be up above a trial judge.” That brought his sentence up to five days, at which point security officers removed him from the courtroom.