Judge Cites BCS Title Game in Rescheduling Court Hearing
Score one for a lawyer and Notre Dame football fan who persuaded a judge to push back a court hearing because of the BCS title game.
Notre Dame is set to square off against much favored Alabama in the championship game set for Jan. 7.
Unfortunately, that was also the date for the last scheduled pretrial conference for an attorney and Notre Dame alumnus. Noting that it may be the last time in his life that the Fighting Irish fight for a championship, the unnamed attorney requested to change the hearing date, reports CBS Sports.
While the attorney could have made up a seemingly more pressing excuse like a medical procedure or funeral, the attorney took the honest route and simply said he needed the time off because he had tickets to the game.
So what did the judge (and graduate of rival Indiana University) do?
Saying that he didn't want coal in his stocking, Judge Rudy Lozano agreed to push back the date. Showing a sense of humor, the judge first noted that he "was not particularly sympathetic to this request" given his ties to Indiana University. Nonetheless, the judge showed the "spirit of the season" and granted the request, reports CBS.
But perhaps still showing some spite towards the Fighting Irish, Judge Lozano chose to move forward the pretrial conference date, instead of pushing it back. The hearing date will now be held on Jan. 4 -- putting a damper on any plans the attorney may have had for watching the Fiesta Bowl the night before.
Judge Lozano's reordering of his court schedule to accommodate a football game is not a first. In SEC country, a New Orleans attorney (and "veteran member" of LSU's "Tiger Pimp Nation") once convinced a judge to delay a trial to allow him and his fellow attorneys -- including opposing counsel -- to watch LSU's BCS Championship game against Ohio State, reports CBS Sports.
An Alabama grad also once persuaded a judge to move a court date to allow him to attend his alma mater's championship win over Texas. The motion was granted over the objection of opposing counsel, an Auburn grad, writes CBS.
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