The Tennessee Supreme Court is refusing to hear an appeal from former TV judge Joe Brown over a jail sentence for contempt of court. In a one-sentence ruling issued Aug. 14, the court denied Brown’s application to appeal a Court of Appeals ruling from March. The March ruling upheld Brown’s five-day jail sentence stemming from an outburst last year in Shelby County Juvenile Court. On March 24, 2014, Brown was briefly jailed after juvenile court officials said he caused an outburst in the courtroom while there representing a client. Magistrate Judge Harold Horne initially sentenced Brown to a day in jail but raised the sentence to five days after a verbal exchange with Brown. Brown was arrested and released later that day. “Excuse me, on what authority do you sit, by the way?” Brown asked Horne, according to an audio recording of the proceedings. “This tribunal on a general sessions court’s authority is insufficient to establish you. Therefore, I challenge your authority to hear it. … This is a circus, sir.” In his appeal, Brown said the audio recording was manipulated. The Shelby County juvenile court clerk said the recording was cut off in the first few seconds to delete the name of Brown’s client, but nothing else was edited on it. Juvenile Court Chief Administrative Officer Larry Scroggs said that if Brown does not ask for a rehearing, the state court clerk’s office will communicate the final decision to the juvenile court clerk, and a judge will determine how to carry out Brown’s sentence.
Jackass star Steve-O will face five criminal charges after he climbed a crane in Hollywood to protest SeaWorld and drew dozens of emergency responders to a construction site earlier this month. Los Angeles will also seek financial restitution for the cost of the police and fire response, said Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the city attorney’s office. Steve-O, whose legal name is Stephen Glover, was charged Monday with one count each of creating a false emergency, use of unregistered fireworks, storing fireworks without a permit, possession of fireworks without a permit, and trespassing, Mateljan said. Glover’s representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The 41-year-old scrambled up a crane at least 100 feet high on Sunset Boulevard on Aug. 9, inflating a large killer whale balloon emblazoned with “SeaWorld Sucks” and lighting fireworks when he reached the top. Glover, known for his outlandish stunts in the Jackass TV show and movies, later climbed down and was taken into custody. Five ambulances, a helicopter and more than 80 firefighters went to the scene, said Fire Department spokesman Margaret Stewart.