Court jesters: Gridiron scores in courtroom

COEUR d’ALENE — The atmosphere in the courtroom during the election challenge, like with most court cases, can be intense at times.

But that’s not to say the scene doesn’t have its lighter moments.

Jokes, from counsel and First District Judge Charles Hosack, can even make the scene feel jovial at times.

Tuesday, an exchange between Jim Brannon’s attorney Starr Kelso and Mike Kennedy’s attorney Peter Erbland tied a hypothetical name Kelso was using to illustrate a point to a Green Bay Packer football player, which brought the room to laughter.

Wednesday, it was gridiron talk that again made the room laugh.

In an exchange with Kootenai County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Cafferty and Kelso about the county’s legal role in joining litigation meetings even though the county wasn’t a named defendant in the suit, Kelso was trying to pinpoint a date in late December when the county’s legal team was meeting in litigation even though the county wasn’t a party to the suit.

Cafferty helped Kelso out.

“I remember it was the date of the Humanitarian Bowl,” Cafferty said, referencing the game in which the University of Idaho Vandals beat Bowling Green on the game’s last play.

Kelso asked him how he could remember the date of a college football bowl game, but not information on testimony and affidavits that he’d been asking him about.

“I don’t remember what the date was,” Cafferty said. “I remember that’s what I wasn’t watching when I was in mediation with you.”

That drew a snicker, but Hosack turned that to laughter.

“It’s a memorable date because Idaho actually won,” the judge said.

Kelso laughed too, but brought the issue back at hand.

“For the record I’m an Idaho supporter, but I think elections are more important,” he said.

“That’s why we were with you,” Cafferty agreed. - Tom Hasslinger