Story Archive

Barring the Courtroom Door

The bailiff who’d just screened Suzanne Webb for entry into the Jacksboro, Tenn., courthouse was surprised to see her sitting in a holding area in handcuffs. Webb had entered the building before her 9:00 a.m. court appointment, but she’d been barred from entering the courtroom because by the time she’d gotten through security and reached the door, it was locked. She told Judge Amanda Sammons she’d been locked out. “She said that’s no excuse.” Sammons required Webb to post a cash bond for the full $424.50 she’d have to pay if convicted on her vandalism charges, which Sammons then dropped on condition that Webb forfeit the cash. Journalists identified more than five other cases in which Sammons, a former prosecutor, had people locked out of her courtroom, then arrested them for being late. (AC/Knoxville News Sentinel) ...Next election, voters should lock Judge Sammons out and arrest this process.