adminA now-viral clip from a Washtenaw County virtual court hearing shows a man, identified in reports as Corey Harris, logging into his May 15 hearing while clearly seated in a car and apparently driving as the judge called his case. The judge’s baffled line of questioning — “Mr. Harris, are you driving?” — captured the absurdity of the moment and the moment quickly spread online, leaving Americans shaking their heads.
Court records and on-camera remarks made clear what should have been obvious: Harris was facing charges tied to driving with a suspended driving privilege, and the judge wasted no time revoking his bond after the spectacle. When the defendant’s attorney asked for an adjournment, the court responded by ordering Harris to turn himself in that evening — a proper, immediate consequence for flouting the law in real time.
Let’s stop pretending these viral moments are harmless comedy. When public defenders and some on the left talk about keeping nonviolent offenders out of jail as a moral imperative, they often forget the basic duties of citizenship: follow the law and show respect for the courts. If a person under order not to drive hops on a Zoom call from behind the wheel, it isn’t a misunderstanding — it’s contempt dressed up as convenience, and it demands real accountability.
The pandemic-era shift to virtual hearings has delivered convenience for many, but it has also invited a circus of sloppy behavior — from defendants calling in from operating rooms to lawyers who once appeared as kittens thanks to filters. That technological convenience cannot become a get-out-of-responsibility card; judges who accept clown shows are doing a disservice to crime victims and law-abiding citizens who obey the rules every day. Courts must use technology to improve access, not to erode respect for the rule of law.
Some outlets later pointed out the administrative tangle behind Harris’s case — that reinstatement of driving privileges can hinge on bureaucratic steps and fees — but American justice should not be a free pass for risky behavior. If there was paperwork to finish, the responsible move was to park and sort it out before driving, not to use a live court feed to prove you ignored the law. Judges are right to make examples when people treat the system like a punchline.
Hardworking Americans deserve a justice system that enforces consequences consistently, not a social-media era that rewards bad judgments with viral fame. Call it common sense: obey the law, respect the courtroom, and accept the penalties when you don’t. If we want safer streets and stronger communities, we should applaud judges who refuse to let theatrics replace accountability and demand the same of every citizen.
