Judge Roy Ferguson`s warning comes after a lawyer accidentally attended a video conference Tuesday at a civil court hearing while using a zoom filter that made him look like a fluffy white kitten. The mundane civil forfeiture hearing took a hilarious turn when Presidio County District Attorney Rod Ponton arrived at the Zoom courthouse in the form of a fluffy white and brown kitten. A virtual hearing Tuesday in southwest Texas resulted in a steep paw-tap when a lawyer accidentally appeared on screen as a computer-filtered cat. As with the priest, joy comes from the dissonance between the absurdity of the image and the gravity of the attitude. There are few occasions that are inherently more serious than a trial. Lives can be at stake. And yet, in this darkest environment, a CGI cat appeared, with huge watery eyes and a small mouth moving plaintively. Less than a week after the nation was gripped by parish council fever, a phrase that seems shamefully British to have to write, another viral Zoom-based video has invaded the internet. This time, the setting is Presidio, Texas, and the meeting in question is a trial, supposedly for a man who tried to leave the United States with contraband money.
This caught the world`s attention when the judge presiding over the case posted an excerpt from the online trial in which he said, « If a child has used your computer before attending a virtual hearing, check the Zoom video options to make sure the filters are turned off. » His best advice for those appearing virtually before a judge: you are still in the courtroom – and audible to the judge – after the virtual hearing adjourns. « There are some very colorful things from lawyers that are being heard, » Ferguson said. « Be careful what you say, because YouTube listens to everything and never forgets. » A live stream of a virtual trial in Texas took an « appawlinge » turn when a lawyer appeared on screen as a cat. ALPINE, Texas — A West Texas judge has a word of warning to those attending court hearings via Zoom: Always check filters before logging in. During a routine hearing in Texas 394th District Court, Presidio County District Attorney Rod Ponton accidentally signed the cat filter, making the confused lawyer look like an adorable kitten. The 34-second clip of Ponton`s brief appearance as a cat immediately amused many and became a viral hit among Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders` mittens and runaway llamas at a time when court events often unfold virtually. « I`m not a cat, » Ponton promised as the cat said what he said. « I always wanted to be famous for being a great lawyer.
Now I`m famous for appearing in court as a cat, » he told The Associated Press. Judge Roy B. Ferguson of 394. The Texas District Court kindly spoke to the chat in the virtual space, suggesting attorney Rod Ponton adjust his zoom settings. Tuesday`s incident was posted by the court`s YouTube channel. As for the revelations in the courtroom, this one was unique: « I`m not a cat, » said a Texas lawyer as his square zoom showed a fluffy white cat. Ferguson laughed at the kitten court disaster and praised all the lawyers involved. For about 30 somewhat embarrassing, but mostly funny, seconds, Ponton struggled to remove the filter. « I`m not a cat » is exactly what a kitten advocate would say Since the pandemic began, Texas courts have held more than 1 million virtual hearings, so Ferguson is often tasked with guiding others through technical difficulties, he said. An American lawyer accidentally activates the cat filter during a hearing via Zoom Then Ponton speaks for the first time. This statement is a real pleasure.
It`s not a word, but a high-pitched, trembling moan, a sound so completely guilty and panicked that even if you couldn`t see the screen, you could guess it was the sound of a man unexpectedly showing up in court as a small animal. The cat`s eyes flutter like crazy as Ponton, invisible, desperately searches for a way to regain human form, an expression on his little face that says nothing so much as: « Help, I am a lawyer trapped in the digital body of a kitten. The proliferation of video chat platforms for court appearances has led to other unusual moments: a defendant in Sacramento appeared from a barber`s chair, a burglary suspect in Florida tried to flirt with a judge to get himself out of trouble, and a lawyer in Peru was filmed naked after stripping naked to have sex. But Tuesday`s video was the cat`s pajamas for many. « If I could make everyone laugh at my expense, I`d be happy to do it, » Ponton told NBC News hours after the hearing. « It`s an example of what can happen in our computer-connected world. » He is not on Twitter and did not know he had become an international phenomenon until he received calls from reporters just over an hour after the hearing ended, he said. The video was on the court`s YouTube page, and Judge Ferguson himself tweeted a link. After the clip was released, Judge Roy Ferguson then shared the clip on Twitter with a tweet captioned « ZOOM TIP IMPORTANT: If a child has used your computer, check the Zoom video options before attending a virtual hearing to make sure filters are turned off.
This kitten has just made an official announcement about a case in the 394th century. fact. [6] Reuters reporter Lawrence Hurley then shared the clip on Twitter, where he captioned the post with the words: « I`m live here, I`m not a cat, » the lawyer said after the Zoom filter accident. I can see it, » the judge replied. [1] Canadian poet Margaret Atwood praised the praised and shared the tweet with a caption: « I, on the other hand, am a cat. I just can`t get that human filter. [7] After the incident, Rod Ponton responded in the New York Times by saying, « If I can make the country smile for a moment in these difficult times they are going through, I`m happy to let them do it the hard way. [2] While on Vice, Ponton also said, « Oh, it was just a mistake by my secretary. I was using her computer, and for some reason she had this filter enabled. I took it off and replaced it with my face. This was a case where a man had attempted to leave the United States with contraband and smuggling. All it was was a mistake.
It was withdrawn and we had the hearing as usual. [8] « I`m ready to continue, » Ponton said, not wanting to walk around. « I`m here live. » « I`m here, live, I`m not a cat, » he said seconds later. Ponton told CNN that he had to use his secretary`s computer for the hearing and suspected that she or her daughter last used the cat`s photo. Texas attorney Rod Ponton told a judge « I`m not a cat » after getting stuck in a zoom filter, and that made my day H. Gibbs Bauer, another lawyer on the call, puts on his glasses and leans forward to better investigate the miracle on his screen. He adjusts his tie as if unconsciously aware of his supporting role, but keeps a straight face. The zoom filter was removed within seconds of that moment, Ferguson said.
He added that he went through the lawyer to find out how to turn it off. Ponton interrupted the judge with an amplified guttural sound. « Every one of these people in this room has kept their cool, » Ferguson said. « The lawyer who I think you would say was the target of the joke treated it with absolute grace. » « I don`t know how to remove it, » he said. « I have my assistant here and she`s trying. » « Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter enabled in the video settings, » begins Judge Roy Ferguson, who is leading the case, with Mr. Ponton in the video. Just like a stone man in another box, identified as Jerry L. Phillips, seemingly unfazed by the cat. « Ouch, » he cried. « We`re trying – can you hear how I`m judging? » David K.
Li is a late-breaking reporter for NBC News. Ferguson confirmed that the Zoom crash happened on Tuesday. « It really happened. There was no joke, » Ferguson told CNN by phone. On February 9, 2021, the YouTube account of the 394th District Court of Texas livestreamed and posted a clip titled « Kitten Zoom Filter Mishap. » The video shows a lawyer, Rod Ponton, who accidentally signed up with a white kitten face filter and tries to remove it from his Zoom app. [1] In the video, the kitten`s eyes seem to float back and forth as Ponton says, « I don`t know how to remove it. I have my assistant here and she`s trying. Ponton then tries to move forward and says, « I`m ready to move forward. Finally, he says, « I`m here live.