Attorney Lawrence Blackmon must pay for the cost of a jury and serve eight hours of community service after he failed to appear for a scheduled trial August 4.
When the attorney did not show up for trial in State v. Feazzell, the Court continued the trial and issued a show cause order against the Canton attorney that directed him to appear before Judge Arthur today and explain why he should not be held in contempt of court.
The attorney showed up alone in court this morning and stood before Judge Arthur. Lawrence Blackmon was contrite and respectful as he addressed Judge Arthur. Gone was the flippancy characterized by Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson in her own August 1 contempt of court order.
The judge opened the proceedings by immediately asking Mr. Blackmon why he did not appear for trial last week. The attorney said he was at a legislative conference in Texas last Monday. He didn't realize he had trial that day until he texted with a prosecutor while he was in Texas. "I failed to check in. I should have called the court as soon as I got word. I should have made it a priority," concluded Mr. Blackmon.
"Here is where we are," said Judge Arthur. "MEC sent you a notification then. The Court Administrator emailed you on July 30 about the trial. We received no response to that. In addition, on July 29, the day before, this case was set for hearing. You were not here but your father was (They practice together). 'Where's Lawrence and he said he's in court in Hinds County.' I said he's up for trial next week." lectured Judge Arthur.
The Court pointed out it notified Mr. Blackmon about the trial no less than three times. The docket states the August 4 trial was scheduled on May 6, 2025. "That's three notification, we received no word back," continued the judge.
"Once the jury came in, we were in a bit of a bind. Back in October 24, we had a similar situation where you didn't appear for court. These jurors gave up their time. These jurors missed a full day of work and to add insult to injury, the jurors are taxpayers. Juries are not free. The Court has to pay them" said Judge Arthur.
Through it all, the attorney stood silently as he took his medicine.
Judge Arthur's lecture continued: "I understand we get busy but we've had this issue a couple of times. This is just where we are."
"The Court's going to find you in contempt" decreed the learned jurist. Judge Arthur sanctioned young Blackmon $1,761.20 for the cost of the jury as he made it clear the Court would not pick up the tab for Mr. Blackmon's absenteeism. "You're going to give that day back," said the judge. The attorney must pay the fine within thirty days.
The final issue for adjudication was the punishment for the finding of contempt. Judge Arthur sentenced the attorney to two days in the Madison County Detention Center but said he would suspend the sentence if he performed eight hours of community service. Upon Mr. Blackmon's request, the Court allowed him to serve his sentence at Our Daily Bread, a soup kitchen in Canton. Judge Arthur made it clear the Court would verify the community service.
"Just to be sure, if it happens again, it will be dealt with," warned Judge Arthur.
The contempt of court finding is the second suffered by Mr. Blackmon in 11 days. Judge Peterson fined him $6,300 for 63 instances of contempt of court. 52 of the findings applied to his appearing in Court 52 minutes late on July 31.
36 comments:
slap on the wrist-
An attorney with lighter skin would be in the jailhouse
Chokwe senior got sideways with Marcus Gordon in Philadelphia MS and people
Had to try to break him out of the jail a few days later.
Code switching on demand when it’s needed.
Judge Arthur treated him very leniently considering the circumstances. I don't think it was because of his skin color, but because he was contrite. Had he smarted off, it would have been a different story. Judge Arthur is not one to mess around with.
I hope his Community Service is Verified so he Must put in 8 hrs and not pay someone off. He should lose his law license!
The judge should have put that bastard on a 30 day weed eater detail and fined him about $ 10,000.00. I guess Carlos the clown has a new replacement.
Marcus Gordon didn’t put up with BS from Anyone. Black, white or Blue
If it happens again, and I bet it will, then I hope he gets jail time he must serve. Only then will he learn.
That'll learn him!
Community Service: Picking up litter and dog poop in a public park!
You aren't kidding about that! He's throw anyone who misbehaved in jail with a smile on his face while he was doing it. When he threw Chockwe in jail for contempt, he left town for the weekend.
Chump change.
How humble are we! Cool your jets my brother your behavior will tarnish a Great name in the legal circles in the South if you continue to prove your status among the hood boys.
Young Blackmon you were on your best behavior today however you ain’t just ready for a yacht trip yet! We will be watching how you act in Judge Faye Petersons court.
It's not much but much more than the impotent Bar Assoc. will do.
Outta put him on a jury a few times. Seems that lawyers and judges never have to serve.
Acting civil does not get clicks and likes! Dang if you would have acted like you did in Hinds County Court last week there would have been over a hundred comments by now!
I think you are getting the picture! Big mama said you can get more bees with sugar!
PS
Get them wrinkles out the nice suit young buck!
PLEASE let us know when he pays, and how much. You do know his last name don’t you. By the way, I will not be holding my breath until he pays it,.
the faction of the green teeth redneck haters of members of the bar is on full display just above this comment.
you pathetic people talk like blackmon is a domestic terrorist.
tell me what all you people what have you accomplish in you own pathetic lives ?
you all hate members of the bar........till you need one.
to 3:20............so, you wanna take a walk down memory lane , do you?
tell us about the time that chockwe senior threw a 100 $ bill on judge yeargers bench and said ''ive paid for justice before......ill pay you too''..............like father like son.
to all the attorney haters on this thread..........wait till your wife finds out about that road ho you been banging ..................at that point you will be running to an attorney begging him to save your money , house, income, career, community standing, reputation, and relationship with your children.
Aren’t lawyers and judges “officers of the court” and as such ineligible to serve on a jury as they are already serving in court?
“Upon Mr. Blackmon's request, the Court allowed him to serve his sentence at Our Daily Bread, a soup kitchen in Canton.” Judge gave him a soap box and audience.
11:56 PM, some of the finest people I know are attorneys, and I know nobody personally that hates all attorneys. We have family and great friends that are attorneys, and we love them dearly.
What we do hate are the slime ball fee churner attorneys, that are the only winners after the clients battle it out then finally give up because they’ve now spent more than they were arguing over.
We hate the frivolous lawsuits attorneys, that cause settlements that are only settled since the “system” makes its cheaper for the party that did no wrong to settle, than to fight and win.
We especially hate the ambulance chaser attorney(s) that supported the “No Kings” scam, pretending to be a Democrat, while living safely in one of, if not the highest police per capita Republican controlled areas in MS (his kids aren’t going to school or dying in that crime infested Democrat city he fully supports…but will not live in).
We hate the so-called justice system that for many if not most, except the rich and powerful or course, is really just a legal fee generation system, with their buddy judges issuing continuances for many years, refusing to do their ____ing jobs.
You either make the world a better place, or you don’t. The attorney’s we hate…don’t.
Nobody will do anything to him, and it will inflame those who hate class and decorum to come to his defense. His fans love this behavior.
This is just further societal decay that sadly meets little resistance from those in charge.
Yes, but until I need one, I will look at some defense attorneys as subhuman, opportunistic, manipulative POS necessities for "justice". Using loopholes and word games to get guilty people off is not noble to me. And yes, I know the saying about "better 100 guilty men go free as opposed to on innocent suffer" (paraphrasing)
If we did not have the first attorney, we would not need any of them. They holler, scream, yell at each other like mad, then after the count sessions end, they go drink coffee together. Why not, they have already collected their fees.
Carlos Moore must be representing him.
8;49 says he is not a lawyer hater.
then he proceeds to list 3 types of lawyers he hates a says he hates the entire legal systems well.
sounds like a hater to me.
he seems to know a little bit about the legal system. my guess is he been on the loosing end of it multiple times.
here's yet another legal lesson for you 8:49. you just got whats called ''impeached by your own testimony.''
next time feel free to spell out you profanity.
i can take it. im a big boy.
9:03, Without competent defense attorneys, we couldn't remove criminals from society and still be living in the U.S. It would be more like China, Russia, or Iran, where citizens don't have a right to due process.
9:51, So you are suggesting attorneys should all take their jobs personally? We don't get paid to hate each other.
to 9:51..................attorneys exist in our system to protect the legal rights of their clients.
this goes back to the magna carta in england in the year 1289.
if you dont like our legal system maybe you should move to a more enlightened country where there exists no legal system and no lawyers to protect your legal rights.
...........may i suggest, cuba, iran, north korea, or red china.
im sure those countries would welcome a person like you and your incredible intellect.
what i call the united states constitution....9:03 calls'' loopholes and word games''
tell me all you keyboard cowboys, who do you believe ? me or him?
;
No one is perfect people have bad days, and attorney Blackmon deserves a chance!
11:03’s “if you don’t like our corrupt fee churning frivolous lawsuit injustice system you move to Cuba,” has all of the arrogance one could have expected from the judge briber Scruggs and his corrupt buds Peters, DeLaughter, et al. And, an attorney making an idiotic argument like this one is definitely an attorney one does not want to hire.
Re: 10:54 AM’s lamebrain rant, "Objection, Your Honor, speculation!" Sustained! Counselor you are hereby in contempt for false speculation, not being able to spell “losing” and failing to tell us just how big a boy you are!
Like Don Henley sang: the more I think about it old Billy was right…
to 12:24.............consider yourself officially trolled.
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