Transit Woes
December 21, 2005
Every time a clerk from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit calls, my heart leaps to my throat. I appear before this court often. A call usually means a decision has been rendered in a case, or that some irregularity has been spotted in my papers. My heart leapt again when the phone rang yesterday.
"If the transit strike continues, court will open one hour later," the clerk said. I am due to argue today the appeal of a trial court ruling granting immunity to a prosecutor who altered a court set bond without seeking court approval. "You are required to be here at 10:30, in that case," she said.
"But I have signed up for video argument," I said. Routintely, I argue from a video conference center in Hartford. It takes 45 minutes to get to Hartford, as opposed to two and one half hours of rush hour traffic into New York City.
She put me on hold, and in moments, my video argument was confirmed. Somehow it was reassuring to know that even a mighty court can err in small things.
Wish me luck today. The case is called Root v. Liston,, 05-2004-cv.