Signs

The actual violence is not, as yet, endemic. But given time and the corrosive effect of falsely motivating people to take extreme action when they don't feel justice has been served - makes for some very bad juju.

This Redden guy had no justification for what he did in the courtroom. My guess is he's just that kind of asshole, and that's the kind of asshole thing he does.

But take this incident and overlay it on what's going on in MAGA world. Every day, they're fed a heapin' helpin' of paranoia and victimization. They're told the system is totally rigged against them, and the courts - along with the rest of the government - are out to get 'em. So they need to rise up and "fight like hell - or you won't have a country..." 

I'm not talking about some random dickhead who apparently loses his shit and beats people up, just cuz.

And I'm not talking about people who have a legit beef with a system that fucks them over practically every day, and who show up and legit protest, willing to look for some of that good trouble that John Lewis talked about - and follow the rules of Civil Disobedience.

(Yes, there are rules for how you go about breaking the rules)

I'm talking about a double-digit cohort of dickheads who have legit concerns about getting fucked over, but have volunteered to get hoodwinked and bamboozled into thinking they're being victimized by women, or brown people, or Jews, or or or. They're mostly otherwise good decent folks who're "just going with the flow", but in many cases they're pretty hateful people deliberately misunderstanding that the ones telling them they're being played for fools are the the ones who're playing them for fools. 

So I may have gone off the path a little, but I think it's important to note the potential for violence against the institutions of democratic self-governance, especially in light of the death threats judges and politicians have been getting.

We are being radicalized, and that always makes for some very painful history.

Man leaps over bench to attack Nevada judge during sentencing, video shows

A sentencing hearing in Las Vegas turned chaotic Wednesday morning when a judge suddenly tried to scramble out of her chair as a defendant hurled himself over the bench, arms outstretched to attack her, courtroom video shows.

Deobra Redden, 30, was in court for a sentencing hearing after he pleaded guilty in November to attempted battery with substantial bodily harm, according to court records.

Video from the hearing shows Judge Mary Kay Holthus suddenly look up as others in the courtroom began to yell. Redden can then be seen leaping over the bench and pulling Holthus to the ground as flags on either side of her chair fall to the floor. Two people can be seen pulling Redden away from the judge as someone yells “get off her,” according to the video, which has been viewed more than 30 million times on social media.

Holthus and a courtroom marshal were both injured in the attack, said Mary Ann Price, a spokesperson for Eighth Judicial District Court. The judge is being monitored for her injuries and the marshal was taken to a hospital, where Price said he is in stable condition.

“We commend the heroic acts of her staff, law enforcement, and all others who subdued the defendant,” Price added.

Just before the attack, an attorney for Redden asked for a sentence of probation, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Holthus can be heard in the video denying the request, telling the attorney: “I appreciate that, but I think it’s time that he gets a taste of something else because I just can’t with that history.” Redden had previously served time in prison for attempted theft and domestic battery, Nevada state records show.

Redden was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of battery and battery of a protected person, according to online jail records. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said it is investigating a battery incident, which occurred around 11 a.m. at the Regional Justice Center. Police did not name anyone involved in the incident.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the scene in the courtroom was “unbelievable.”

“I’m sure he will be facing consequences for his actions,” Wolfson said in a statement to the paper.

Holthus, who became a judge for the Eighth Judicial District Court in 2019, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She previously served more than two decades as a prosecutor for the Clark County district attorney’s office.

Weapons are barred in the courtroom, where people are instructed to “sit quietly when court is in session,” according to the Eighth Judicial District Court’s website.

Price said the court is committed to providing a safe and secure environment.

“We are reviewing all our protocols and will do whatever is necessary to protect the judiciary, the public and our employees,” she said.