Defendant to Judge: God is My Counsel
A seemingly routine arraignment in a case alleging that the defendant had been operating a business without a license apparently became something of an ordeal earlier this week for a Tennessee judge.
When he asked William Albert Roseburgh, 57, whether he needed a lawyer, the defendant responded “Yahweh is my counsel,” reports the Daily Times.
Unfortunately for Senior Judge John Kerry Blackwood, this wasn’t one of the three options on the relevant form.
Blackwood explained to Roseburgh “multiple times” that he must choose between selecting his own private counsel, claiming indigence in order to qualify for a public defender in the Blount County Circuit Court case or representing himself without help from the judge, the newspaper recounts. Finally, “after much discussion,” the defendant “agreed that he was representing himself, but ‘in protest.’ “
Roseburgh then complained to the judge that his name was incorrectly listed on court documents, because it was spelled entirely in capital letters.
