A heated exchange between D.C. Superior Court Judge John Bayly Jr. and Public Defender Service attorney Liyah Brown last week ended with Brown in a holding cell — the first time, Bayly says, he has ever detained a lawyer.
During a criminal hearing on Aug. 29, Brown attempted to point out that her client “is a homeless man,” according to court transcripts. Bayly, however, responded with skepticism: “I don’t know that he is.” The two argued over the point before Bayly told Brown to have a seat. “Step her back, please. Step her back,” Bayly told a U.S. marshal, according to the transcript. Brown was shackled and held in a cell with misdemeanor defendants.
