Would The Judge Have Ordered A Muslim To Celebrate A Girl's Birth In Court?

When I was a lawyer, very good judges tended to be low key and tended to retain a sense of humor but maintained control of the courtroom. When they did, they brought out the best in lawyers and helped the jury understand what was going on. My goal is to find techniques that help do that.
Judge Kimba Wood

In response to the story below, Instapundit writes:

MIGHTN’T THIS STATEMENT BY JUDGE KIMBA WOOD ON A BRIS BE CONSIDERED almost anti-semitic? Would she have said something similar to a Muslim lawyer?

In answer to Glenn Reynolds's first question: no.
In answer to his second question: he is missing the point


The questions revolve around Judge Wood's reaction to a request from Manhattan lawyer Bennett Epstein to be excused in the middle of a trial in the event his pregnant daughter gives birth to a boy. He could have made his request simple and to the point. Instead, the way Epstein ended up wording his request invited Judge Woods response:

Wrote Epstein, in this letter filed with the court on Thursday:

Should the child be a girl, not much will happen in the way of public celebration. Some may even be disappointed, but will do their best to conceal this by saying, “as long as it’s a healthy baby.” . . . However, should the baby be a boy, then hoo hah! Hordes of friends and family will arrive . . . for the joyous celebration . . . known as the bris. . . . My presence at the bris is not strictly commanded, although my absence will never be forgotten by those that matter.

Judge Wood, in a note written at the bottom of the letter, granted the request. But she did Epstein one better. Wrote Wood:

Mr. Epstein will be permitted to attend the bris, in the joyous event that a son is born. But the Court would like to balance the scales. If a daughter is born, there will be a public celebration in Court, with readings from poetry celebrating girls and women.

Again, Judge Wood's response is not really anti-semitic.

So would the judge have written the same response to a Muslim lawyer?
Well, if the Muslim lawyer wrote a straightforward letter--then no.

However, if the lawyer had written something as informal and joking as what Epstein wrote, it's possible she would have written the same thing in response.

However, the real question Instapundit should have asked is: how long would it take CAIR to force her to apologize?

As to whether Wood is serious about that party in court--in 1990 she sentenced "The Junk Bond King" Michael Milken to ten years in prison, so why take a chance?

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