Judge Causes Dread

Just like Jeffrey K. Skilling and Kenneth L. Lay, I -- and the rest of the press corps -- now have our fate in the jury's hands.

Our fate for lunch, that is. And sleep. And Fridays off.

Presiding Judge Simeon T. Lake III (SL3) hinted yesterday that he was unhappy with the glacial pace of the lawyers in this trial. Today, he put the hammer down.

Just before he recessed for lunch, he told the jury that he is "chagrined" that the trial is running behind the schedule he had set at the outset. He said he had hoped evidence would conclude this week or next, but that now it is clear that will not be the case. Now, he said, the trial is on pace to conclude evidence by May 11.

What does this have to do with my lunch?

To speed things up, SL3 asked the jury to consider a number of options, and he said he wanted an answer by the end of the day. They include:

• Adding about 45 minutes to the day by starting earlier, finishing later or -- horror of horrors -- shortening the lunch break!

• Working all or part of Fridays. Currently, court is in session Monday through Thursday. Lake said he would prefer not to try the case on Fridays, because he hears other cases that day.

• Sticking to the current setup and simply taking longer to try the case.

It would be unprofessional to state my preferences, but let's just say that if SL3 shortens the lunch break, sales of Prilosec will spike at the nearby CVS.

By Frank Ahrens |  April 26, 2006; 1:40 PM ET  | Category:  In the Overflow Room
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