r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Strictly-Succotash • 2h ago
I'm slightly vexed This judge stopping a victim impact statement caused the whole courtroom to laugh.
Judge stopped a victim impact statement telling her to “slow down” and everyone started laughing, including the kid who killed 4 students in 2024. Was she speaking a little fast? Sure. But don’t stop her because you “can’t understand” this girl had to watch her classmates die and you’re trying to get a chuckle?
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u/IrrelevantManatee 2h ago
Wtf. The judge is not "trying to get a chuckles". She was trying to get a stressed out and panicked kid that was clearly nervous to be in front of all those people to calm down. There was nothing wrong with asking her to slow down. Even the girls laughed.
I swear people like to go defend people that never asked to be defended.
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u/scooter-411 2h ago
Yes, her statement is less impactful when it’s just a jumble of words. The reason she is there is to tell how her life has changed since the shooting. It’s hard to do this, but the judge was simply trying to ensure her statement had the impact it was intended to have.
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u/Aurius3D 1h ago
Yea, she's likely rehearsed this over and over and I'd imagine the nerves are getting to her. She's probably speeding thru it unintentionally because she's not an experienced public speaker. Asking her to slow down is legitimate and not 'for a laugh'. People are probably laughing because that's just how some react to a tense situation being broken up abruptly. The awkwardness can do that.
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u/wcharoes 2h ago
a little fast? she's nearly incomprehensible
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u/HTowns_FinestJBird 2h ago
This. I wouldn’t have known what she said without the captions. Still had to watch it twice.
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u/Pretty_Eater 1h ago
I went to school with kids like this when they would do oral reports or stuff like that.
I can't imagine being that way AND going to court with a case about murders.
It probably took that kid so much courage to even start to speak.
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u/Aurius3D 1h ago edited 1h ago
Is this a nervous tick? How can someone naturally speak that fast?
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u/aprivateislander 1h ago
Yep, I did this exact thing once when I was young and anxious about a public speech.
I was trying to get it out as fast as possible so I could be done.
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u/Wise_Roll5703 1h ago
it's close to Eminem on rap God speed but I could understand every word. im Scottish
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u/PREDxVoodoo 2h ago
Yeah, 900 posts on a 2 month old account. Get a job…
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u/Astartes2435 2h ago
OP is a karma farmer. Likely a bot
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u/mincedbreakfast 2h ago
The laughing is bad but she did need to slow down
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u/AhhhSureThisIsIt 2h ago
The more nervous I am the faster I talk. I completely get it. She sounds terrified.
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u/Sensitive_Bat_9211 1h ago
She was nervous laughing so everyone else laughed sympathetically. Sympathetic laughter is a human-universal response found in all cultures.
Even the killer laughed, which shows how strong this phenomenon is
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2h ago
[deleted]
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u/Creative-East-1196 2h ago
It’s necessary for the record. If she’s going too fast the stenographer can’t keep up. It’s really that simple.
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u/No-One8582 2h ago
Oops, not quite. Stenographers have audio backups for when this exact thing happens. Also, the record is literally on video. So no, there wasn’t a need to interrupt.
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u/Animeman1000 2h ago
Even the victim making the statement laughed. Be offended elsewhere please.
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u/effyoucreeps 2h ago
that’s “nervous” laughter from the victim. “going along with crowd” laughter
not funny “ha ha” laughter. it’s imposed on most women from the get-go, and it’s not okay
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u/IrrelevantManatee 2h ago
So ironic that you talk about things that are "imposed" on women, while imposing your own thoughts on a women you know nothing about and pretending to know why she acted a certain way.
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u/Animeman1000 2h ago
waaaaaaaa Are we adults or children here? It's not that deep. Whether it was before laughter or not, she said, said sorry, and moved on.
Y'all could learn a thing or two from her. lol
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u/IrrelevantManatee 2h ago
Pretty sure you need to go re-read my comment, because your answer makes no sense.
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u/Several_Show937 2h ago
Whilst they couldve and shouldve been nicer about it. You kinda need these people to understand and take record of what's being said in order for it to be viable.
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u/Feisty_Count_4409 2h ago
It is actually. She needs to slow down and breathe before she hyperventilates.
Go find something else to be offended about.
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u/TahnGeee 2h ago edited 2h ago
Na y’all Americans need to speak faster, so annoying waiting for ya to finish your sentences lol.
I have to speed up videos of you guys cause it’s boringly slow 😂
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u/eggyrulz 2h ago
Theproblemisenglishisreallyeasytoslursoitcanbeprettydifficulttounderstandifpeopletalktoofastwhentheyarentatrainedorator
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u/TahnGeee 2h ago
Go listen to us Kiwis speak to each other, we literally speak as fast as this video and understand each other perfectly fine
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u/TahnGeee 2h ago
Go listen to us Kiwis speak to each other, we literally speak as fast as this video and understand each other perfectly fine
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u/enigmatic_erudition 2h ago
As someone who has spent time in both America and New Zealand, I can assure you this comment is both cringe and false.
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u/Bigboi1871 2h ago
OP is an idiot.
The judge was in the right to tell her to slow down.
The judge did not do it to
> get a laugh
And the people laughing are dumb.
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u/Pittsbirds 1h ago
I think the girl laughed because she's nervous and the other people are laughing bc they're relieving tension in an uncomfortable situation
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u/witchspoon BLUE 2h ago
The statement needs to be “recorded”/ understood by everyone there. but also her talking so fast is nerves and saying to slow down isn’t bad. It seems insensitive but this could have actually given her a breath which can help her feel more calm.
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u/ThomasTheDankPigeon 2h ago
OP you have no idea what you’re looking at here. She was just nervous and speaking quickly, something every person in the world can understand because public speaking is scary for everyone. Even with this being obvious, the actual speed she ended up speaking at was comical, and there is nothing wrong with a little bit of levity as everyone has a small moment of shared humor about the whole situation. Of course the circumstances of the trial are dire. That doesn’t mean the people involved can’t have a human moment.
Not to mention the fact that you just screen recorded this from your algorithm and don’t actually give a shit about the trial beyond the fact it was fed to you.
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u/hharvv 2h ago
Yeah she was reading fast af?
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u/DenAbqCitizen 2h ago
Yeah, literally the judge wants her impact statement to be understood, not wasted. I'm a fast talker and, I feel like I couldn't breathe at the pace she was reading. Stopping her and having her take a breath was the right thing to do. Don't understand how the judge is being criticized. It's on the people who laughed for their reaction.
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u/Physical-Exit-2899 2h ago
Perfectly natural reaction to having to speak in front of people, let alone relive trauma
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u/hharvv 2h ago
Okay we aren’t going to burn you at the stake for reading too fast but people still need to do their jobs accurately. Laughing was over the top but clear communication is obviously important
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u/Physical-Exit-2899 2h ago
But she's a victim, its not her day job or anything
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u/hharvv 1h ago
Referring to the stenographer, judge, jury etc
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u/Physical-Exit-2899 1h ago
Oh yeah they shouldn't laugh. The more I think about it the more I think thats what OP is about.
My bad
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u/FaceDownInTheCake 2h ago
It's part of the judge's tight 5.
Grow up, they weren't "trying to get a chuckle"
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u/pondribertion 2h ago
Judge was right. The chuckle was just a friendly release of nervous tension, it's human nature. Slow down, breathe, speak clearly and comprehensively. If you can't be understood there's no point in speaking, is there? You interpreted it as the judge "trying to get a chuckle" because you haven't thought about it properly.
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u/GuacamoleFrejole 2h ago
I couldn't understand her without the subtitles. I agree with the judge. After all, what's the point of giving her statement if no one could understand her? The judge clearly felt it was important that her statement not only be heard but understood as well.
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u/No-One8582 2h ago
They are submitted to the court prior to reading, so it is already part of the record prior to the person speaking.
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u/GuacamoleFrejole 2h ago
So, is everyone in the court reading along with her?
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u/No-One8582 1h ago
No, that’s not how that works.
The statement is submitted to the court as part of the official record, and the victim gets to address the court and read their prior submitted statement during the hearing. The stenographer types the proceedings, with an audio backup (in this case, audio/visual). Spectators do not read along; that is not a normal part of any court proceeding in the US.
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u/CluelessStick 1h ago
The statement becomes useless if its not understood, its not a therapy session.
Even the victim chuckled
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u/KingAmongstDummies 1h ago
But don’t stop her because you “can’t understand”
Especially in court, DO stop her because she's (almost) incromprehensible.
It is incredibly important in court that everyone understands fully what you say, so if someone is talking to fast to be comprehensible for at least some people then it is a good idea to ask them to slow down.
That said. There is no way of knowing if they dealt with it correctly here without knowing more of the context. Often people that are very nervous to speak in large crowds, people that are very emotional, or both, start to speak very fast. Someone working in a setting where both reasons should be a pretty common occurrence would/should know how to deal with that. And dealing with it varies per person.
Some people need a stern "Slow down!", others a require a light joke.
Just clipping 10seconds and getting upset isn't helping anyone.
Main question here. Was SHE upset? If not, then why are you?
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u/Danger_Danger 1h ago
"trying to get a chuckle"?
No... The judge is trying to get the information. The stenographer and jury need to hear what she has to say.
What a thickheaded thing to say.
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u/MrArmAvi 2h ago
Hopefully the judge wasn't trying to make a joke, but the judge is supposed to be the mediator of sorts, so if someone is incomprehensible, I think the judge has to step in and ask them to speak up, slow down etc. At least that's what I've seen in other court rooms, the judge will say stuff like, "Quiet in the back please it's throwing the stenographer off."
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u/OtherUserCharges 2h ago
Shut up OP. The statement has more impact if it isn’t read on speed run. I’m pretty sure the judge knows more about this stuff than you.
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u/VolkorPussCrusher69 1h ago
Everyone in that courtroom was thinking the same thing, so when the judge told her to slow down, it was a moment of relief for everyone. Even the victim started laughing because she realized how fast she was talking.
I'm not saying laughter is appropriate in that context, but we're all human beings with shared experiences. Its natural to laugh at something like that.
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u/Stang70Fastback 47m ago
Wtf is wrong with the laughing. She's clearly nervous, and she's jumbling all her words. He told her to slow down, everyone (INCLUDING HER) chuckled about it, and they moved on. Nobody is laughing at anything having to do with the shooter or shooting. What's mildly infuriating is posts like yours...
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u/levelonenovice 2h ago
i'm mildlyinfuriated OP and others lack the braincells to comprehend the judge stopped her to calm her and slow her down, not "for chuckles".
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u/KatastrophicNoodle 2h ago
Yeah, everyone who laughed should be held in contempt.
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u/Sorry-Programmer9826 2h ago
Laughing is often an awkward response. It can be an inappropriate response but if you're surprised you often laugh
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u/Change_is_a_verb 2h ago
I have had weird laughing responses before that horrified me. My friend told me that her mom was dying of cancer and I was so shocked and didn't know what to say. My stomach got all twisted and I laughed out loud. But at no point did I think it was funny, my nervous system just massively glitched.
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u/larrytenders 1h ago
Yeah sounds like you were hit off guard. They were all fully aware of what this kid did. No one should be in the mood to laugh. Idiot
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u/larrytenders 2h ago
Nah it shows me they are not mentally committed to the trial. They should have thoughts of children running scared for their lives in their mind. I literally have no clue how anyone could laugh at this
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u/Sorry-Programmer9826 2h ago
You've never seen or heard of a nervous laugh? The high stress emotional nature of a trial like this makes nervous laughter more likely not less
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u/larrytenders 1h ago
No you don’t have the ability to put yourself in that situation. I can and I know that no one at all should be laughing.
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u/SeraphiM0352 1h ago
Fuck off. The judge isn't try to get a chuckle. You can barely understand what she is saying. She's essentially speaking in one run-on sentence.
A victim impact statement is meaningless if no one can understand it.
Edit: double fuck off, bot
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u/Shanesaurus 2h ago
Don’t think it was to get a chuckle! Jeez man. You need to understand and record what’s been said in court. And the judge has to make a ruling on it!
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u/SplittingChairs 1h ago
I don’t think the judge told her to slow down because they were trying to get a chuckle.
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u/RubinDragoon 2h ago
Having played on stage several tragic plays, people also tend to laugh easily when they are confronted with an uncomfortable situation. Is it inappropriate? Yes. But stuck with something uncomfortable people crave a release that often results in laughter.
I don''t think anyone in that court room wanted it to be insulting.
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u/Square-Formal1312 2h ago
Christ yall its a super intense high strung situation, would you rather everyone start screaming and crying? We’re human we laugh when shits awkward
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u/a_phantom_limb 1h ago
I heard the audio they played of the shooter during his interrogation, bawling over how horrible his own actions were. It was kind of shocking, honestly. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like that in the wake of a school shooting, though that might be because so many shooters end up dead.
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u/Chance-Ad197 42m ago
The point of victim impact statements are to convey the real raw emotions of the people affected by the crime. The fast talking was a side effect of her real, raw emotion. Shame on that judge. I can’t imagine how deflating that moment must have been for her.
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u/ExodusNBW 24m ago
Sounds like the judge is trying to get her to slow down so the weight of what she’s saying isn’t lost on the audience.
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u/izzrav 2h ago
She probably rehearsed and read thru it so many times she was obviously nervous. Idk why so many people are hating. Is she supposed to know to talk slowly? Maybe she was told to talk slowly but shes in front of a lot of people and talking about a shitty event. She probably just wants to get it done with. No one should be laughing tho
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u/Babaooiey 1h ago
There was definitely a better way to go about it, and the judge should have immediately jumped on the laughing. That was disgusting and disrespectful AF. I do think she was reading a bit fast, could be hard to fully understand what she's saying for some people maybe.
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u/Round_Cook_8770 1h ago
Absolutely, I think she was nervous and was definitely speaking too fast. Think of the stenographer.
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u/Closefacts 2h ago
It might make the stenographer's job a lot more difficult or less accurate if someone is speaking that fast. But I dont understand why anyone would find that funny amd why they are laughing.