Syracuse, NY - Judges often face angry people in court. But they don’t always get to sit down, explore that anger and then discuss it with the public in a dinner-theater setting. Syracuse City Court Judges Steve Dougherty and Ted Limpert will be getting that opportunity the next two weekends as they participate in a public “talkback” after Not Another...
Syracuse, NY - Judges often face angry people in court. But they don’t always get to sit down, explore that anger and then discuss it with the public in a dinner-theater setting.
Ted Limpert Syracuse City Court Judges Steve Dougherty and Ted Limpert will be getting that opportunity the next two weekends as they participate in a public “talkback” after Not Another Theater Company’s production of “12 Angry Men.”
Limpert will host the talkback this coming Saturday (Sept. 25). Dougherty will host the talkback after the Oct. 1 show.
The play is being staged in-the-round at the Fire & Ice banquet facilities at the Locker Room, 528 Hiawatha Boulevard E. Dinner is 6:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday followed by the show at 8 p.m. for the next two weekends. There also is a Sept. 26 matinee with dinner at 12:45 p.m. and a 2 p.m. show.
“12 Angry Men” presents the story of a jury - deciding the guilt or innocence of a teenager accused of murdering his father – that appears to involve an open-and-shut case until a lone dissenting juror starts raising questions that cause the others to reevaluate their positions.
The story originated as a live production on CBS television in 1954 and is probably best known for the 1957 movie version with Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman and Jack Warden.
The after-play talkbacks with Dougherty and Limpert and the local actors will focus on the play’s importance and the legal issues it raises. Tickets and additional information are available at www.notanothertheatercompany.com or by calling the box office at 315-446-1461.
Judge puts DA on spot over conflicting trial schedule
Judge Joe FaheyAfter granting defense lawyer Dave Rizzo’s motion to suppress a statement from defendant Travis Grace so it cannot be used by the prosecution in its misdemeanor weapons possession case, the judge scheduled the case for trial Nov. 29.
Weed said he already was scheduled to be in trial that week before County Judge Bill Walsh.
“Wouldn’t you rather be here?” Fahey asked with a smile. After a long pause, Weed diplomatically declined to answer, prompting the judge to joke about placing him under oath to get a reply.
Weed then jokingly suggested he might be free for Fahey’s trial the following day, making a not-so-subtle reference to Walsh’s habit of speeding through trials in his court. Fahey countered that Weed would probably be available the afternoon of the date he originally suggested, but he gave the prosecutor until Dec. 13 instead.
Tough prescription
As Curtis McCormick stood in court recently to be sentenced for stealing some purses containing credit cards, the calendar prosecutor, defense lawyer Mary Felasco and McCormick had nothing to say since the case involved a plea deal calling for a two- to four-year sentence in state prison.
Tony AloiBut County Judge Tony Aloi noted he’d gotten a letter from McCormick in which the defendant claimed he was suffering from a serious disease. But it was nothing for medical officials to address.
McCormick wrote that his disease left him unable to keep his hands off other people’s property, Aloi noted.
“You have a bad habit of stealing,” the judge said.
“The only cure I have is called state prison,” Aloi added, warning McCormick that if he doesn’t address that in prison he’s going to come out with the same “disease” that will result in longer and longer prison sentences in the future.