Disclaimer: I had to leave the trial before 3 pm to file some kind of story on our deadline, so I missed what was presumably the climax.

I swear, Herb Moncier could piss off the pope.
It's kind of a stretch to hear him say he's representing "The People," but i actually AGREE with most of his basic contentions --
It's just that he won't shut the fark up. Ever. And it makes me nuts to sit there and listen to him demand that the judge recuse himself. Mike Lowe's lawyer has already threatened to seek sanctions against him. Robert Watson might punch him out before it's all over.
Weaver is a very patient man. Great judicial temperament. And I think Mary Anne Stackhouse is doing a pretty damn brilliant job of defending the charter. Weaver didn't think much of her argument that the case should be dismissed on grounds of estoppal--ie the plaintiffs have taken oaths to defend the charter, passed laws by authority of the charter, gotten paid to legislate under the charter, and now, 18 years after the charter was adopted, they claim it's no good because it's been amended to term limit them?
Blech! Herb's RIGHT! They need to be outta here!!!!!
But he's gumming up the works, and slowing down the process to the extent that we may not be able to get a good election with candidates qualified to serve -- which is what he says he wants.
The young woman from the AG's office seems to teeter between amusement and horror at Moncier's antics and I'm so sick of writing about him that I could puke. I was having a quiet word with Richard Beeler and Pam Reeves at the lunch break when Herb's big greasy voice boomed into my ear -- "NO QUOTES, NO QUOTES!!!"-- I turned around and saw that Hayes Hickman had collared him for something or other and Herb was afraid I'd evesdrop. Or that I wouldn't evesdrop.
Whatever.