Incompetent, Irrelivent, Immiterial ??

[caryc]

Watching old Perry Mason at work, that seems to be one of both attorneys favorite lines in the courtroom when they object to something.

If an attorney is incompetent should he even be a licensed attorney? I don't spend much time in courtrooms, does this phrase still come into use today?

 

[BearBio]

Hopefully, they spell it better1

 

[graygun]

They say that in reference to testimony.

 

[caryc]

They say that in reference to testimony.

They say that in reference to the other attorney's question. Isn't that saying he's incompetent for asking that question?

Irrelevant and immaterial, I can understand as having nothing to do with the case at hand but aren't they still calling the other attorney incompetent for asking that question?

 

[caryc]

Hopefully, they spell it better1

Thank you for that answer but I've never seen them spell it out in court. By the way what exactly is better1 ? If you're going to dish it out, make sure "YOU" spell it right. :mrgreen:

 

[mohavesam]

...

 

[wunbe]

Incompetent lawyers run for office and usually win.

wunbe

 

[BearBio]

One of our corporate lawyers when I worked private sector said to remember:
:" :? Judges are poor lawyers who can't make it as attorneys or have made their money and want the prestige to flatter their egos"

 

[mhblaw]

Hey Cary, I have been a trial lawyer for almost 50 years and have never used the term "incompetent" in making an objection to a question/answer. Once I used the term "bullshit" in making an objection and the trial judge told me to "watch your language", but sustained my objection.

 

[caryc]

Hey Cary, I have been a trial lawyer for almost 50 years and have never used the term "incompetent" in making an objection to a question/answer. Once I used the term "bullshit" in making an objection and the trial judge told me to "watch your language", but sustained my objection.

Thanks for your input. That's kind of what I figured but they were so enamored with that 3 word phrase in "Perry Mason" it seemed to come up once if not more in every show. I guess they had incompetent writers. :mrgreen:

 

[graygun]

I don't recall one atty saying another was incompetent.

 

[huntsman22]

Objection!!!! he's illiterate.

 

[blume357]

Whew! I opened this thread thinking you were talking about me.......

The interesting thing about the old Perry Mason episodes and others.... the one time I was a witness in a trial I was not allowed in the court room until it was time for me to testify and then when I was done I was told to leave.

 

[m657]

"Incompetent, Irrelivent, Immiterial"
well....not only could the show not afford to hire the jury, the found a way to infuse a semblance of a tune & dance show without the band. Say the phrase often enough & it sounds like American Bandstand.

What gets me with Perry is the later shows always seems to pick up the heavy inhaled breath (smmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmllggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhkkkkkkkkkkk) as he prepares to deliver a long line devasting the opposition.

 

[737tdi]

Thanks for this thread Cary, I hadn't had a good laugh today. Y'all are funny.

Karl

 

[graygun]

It all pertained to statements etc . Mason always got the guilty party to blurt-out a confession;it never had to go to a jury decision. :roll:

 

[caryc]

CC,

I've noticed the same thing watching Perry Mason. I knew I couldn't be alone in wondering.

I looked it up, and 'incompetent' essentially means 'having nothing to do with the case', which in my mind is irrelevant.

I believe it once had a shade of different meaning, but I've NEVER seen or heard it in modern courtrooms (Court TV, real life kibitzing, etc.).

On other related issues with PM:
It's amazing to see representations of a time before 'full disclosure'.
I can't believe how many times Mason objects on legit legal issues, and then proceeds to singlehandedly GIVE TESTIMONY and an ALTERNATE THEORY of the case.
He ALWAYS solves the case, in court, by forcing a confession of someone on the stand - I've NEVER seen a case go to the jury (after all, it's a half hour show).

I actually looked that up and saw the same thing. So as you said, incompetent and irrelevant actually mean the same thing so why use the two terms together.

I know what you mean by those confessions on the stand. There were also a lot of people in the observers seats that jumped up and spewed out a heart felt confession. Mason was good at getting that. I also got tired of hearing the phrase "I didn't kill her, I loved her". I guess that automatically makes one innocent. But it was an interesting show.

I guess Mason always won his cases because no one expected any one named Ham Burger to win his case. By the way it took me 30 years to figure out that if they used a nickname for him it would be Ham.

It makes you wonder why Burger ever bothered showing up for a case against Perry Mason.

And don't prosecutors get judged almost totally by the conviction rate?
:lol:

That's probably true but don't forget that all Mason's trials only took one hour. Ham had 7 other hours a day to win cases.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Incompetent lawyers run for office and usually win.

TOO . . . MUCH . . . TRUTH!

 

[Colonialgirl]

We always watch "PERRY MASON" at night when we go to bed; ; It comes on at 11:30 PM;
Amazing how many people are killed by a SINGLE SHOT from a 32 caliber snubby nosed pistol, How often Perry drives a convertible and with the TOP down in Los Angeles Finds a parking space RIGHT IN FRONT of the court house; Should I mention how the Lt. police guy is ALWAYS ready to arrest someone on the most flimsy evidence.
BUT its fun, requires no thought, and we can work on the daily Solitaire Challenge while we lay in bed watching.

 

[caryc]

We always watch "PERRY MASON" at night when we go to bed; ; It comes on at 11:30 PM;
Amazing how many people are killed by a SINGLE SHOT from a 32 caliber snubby nosed pistol, How often Perry drives a convertible and with the TOP down in Los Angeles Finds a parking space RIGHT IN FRONT of the court house; Should I mention how the Lt. police guy is ALWAYS ready to arrest someone on the most flimsy evidence.
BUT its fun, requires no thought, and we can work on the daily Solitaire Challenge while we lay in bed watching.

Yeah, that's another thing. It's amazing how many convertibles you see on that show. Lt. Trag's just doin' his job mam and always with that silly smirk on his puss. He acts like Mason's friend but is always trying to nail him for something.

 

[blume357]

Raymond Burr was a pretty big guy... look at the guy that played Paul Drake when he stands beside him... that was one big guy. I always liked Lt. Tragg... pretty sure he was a long time radio actor.

 

[caryc]

Raymond Burr was a pretty big guy... look at the guy that played Paul Drake when he stands beside him... that was one big guy. I always liked Lt. Tragg... pretty sure he was a long time radio actor.

William Hopper (Paul Drake) was a big guy at 6'3". He was the son of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. He died rather young at age 55 of pneumonia after suffering a stroke. .