Friday Fun: Judicial Humor

If the cases you study are boring
And frequently leave you snoring
Here’s a website
Where the wit will delight
And leave you rolling laughing on the flooring.

A poet I clearly am not, but if you’ve found the cases you’ve been studying a bit dry, here’s something fun to peruse on a study break. Librarians at the Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington have compiled a Judicial Humor page listing occasions of humor in the judicial system. Yes, they do happen! Some of the humor comes from circumstances of the cases (a ship colliding with a train?!), others from crazy plaintiffs. In quite a few cases, the humor comes from inspired judges writing in verse, making puns, or sneaking in references to movie titles, airlines, and laundry detergent, among other things. And then there’s the opinion that references the immortal classic of 1992, Wayne’s World.

Interested in in-depth exploration of judicial humor? The page also lists some articles and books that examine the topic.

Hat tip: Virtual Library Cat’s Eye View

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