Made for TV? Judge's antics denounced

A respected attorney said he was horrified as a legal professional.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- From the state that brought you the hanging chad, now comes the crying judge.
Some members of the bar and other court-watchers are cringing over the way Judge Larry Seidlin wept -- no, sobbed -- on live, national TV as he announced a ruling Thursday in the dispute over where Anna Nicole Smith should be buried.
Some are accusing the brash former New York cab driver of showboating for the cameras, or worse, auditioning for his own courtroom TV show, with his one-liners, his personal asides and his smart-alecky Bronx delivery during the six-day hearing.
They say that he let the hearing drag on way too long, that he made inappropriate jokes for a dispute over a body, that he acted as if it were all about him.
"He's like Judge Judy's wacky little brother," legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin quipped on CNN.
The New York Post called him a "Weepy Wacko," while the Daily News asked, "How Low Can This Judge Go?" and referred to him as "Blubbering Seidlin."
Attorney's comments
One of Miami's most celebrated defense attorneys, Roy Black, said of the circus-like scene in Seidlin's courtroom: "I sort of think it gives circuses a bad name."
Black said he was torn between being entertained as a spectator and being horrified as a legal professional.
"I thought he was one of the most entertaining things I had ever seen. He could be a TV judge. He could be a stand-up comic. However, I think he makes a horrible judge," Black said. "He doesn't follow any of the rules or procedures."
In court, the 56-year-old Seidlin talked about his wife and divulged the minutiae of his days, mentioning his morning swim and the tuna sandwich he was having when assigned the case. He called Dr. Joshua Perper, the medical examiner, "Dr. Pepper." Lawyers became known by their home states of "Texas" or "California." The hearing often became a free-for-all, with the various parties talking at the same time.
On the last day of the hearing, Seidlin cut witnesses off altogether. From the bench, he freely aired his thoughts.
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