"Sittin' on the docket today, watchin' my client go away..."

You might lose your public defender contract if you sing your closing argument:

Singing Public Defender Barred

(District associate judge Mary) Howe alleged that (singing public defender Sally) Machetta talked out loud to herself in the courtroom while cases were in progress. During one court hearing, Howe said, Machetta asked if she could sing "Looking For Love (In All The Wrong Places)." Other court officials said that in a Black Hawk County case, Machetta sang her closing argument. They described her as "an embarrassment" and "marginally competent, at best."

(O)ne defendant asked that Machetta be removed from his case because she was "nuts."

It is unclear whether the ruling was based on the quality of the performance or the choice of material. While singing "Looking For Love (In All the Wrong Places)" is per se unreasonable, "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)" may have resulted in a lesser sanction, while "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under" certainly would have brought a reprimand from the Bar or worse. It remains to be seen whether Marchetta can keep any money that jurors may have placed in her tip jar.

Update: "First they came for the nutty lawyers..." - Machetta speaks out!