Man Arrested for Lawyer Jokes Cleared

[MDM4AU 336]

Man Arrested for Lawyer Jokes Cleared

Tue Feb 8, 1:46 PM ET

NEW YORK - A man arrested after telling lawyer jokes at a courthouse got the last laugh when a grand jury dismissed the disorderly conduct charge against him.

 

"It's still legal in America to tell jokes — even about lawyers," said 70-year-old Harvey Kash's lawyer, Ron Kuby, about Monday's decision.

Kash testified he was exercising his First Amendment right when he shared a few lawyer jokes with his friend, Carl Lanzisera, 65, as they waited to enter a Long Island courthouse last month.

Kash and Lanzisera are founders of Americans for Legal Reform, a group that uses confrontational tactics to urge greater public access to the courts. They said they have mocked lawyers outside courts for years.

"How do you tell when a lawyer is lying?" Kash reportedly asked.

"His lips are moving," the pair howled in unison.

Some people giggled, but a lawyer in the line told them to pipe down and reported them to court officers. They were arrested for allegedly being abusive and causing a disturbance.

The charge against Lanzisera was dropped because of insufficient evidence.

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