Wake Judge Howard Manning was working in Orange County court this week. Kudos to News & Observer reporter Jesse James DeConto, whose blog about Manning’s quips is a great read. My favorite Manning jabs are the ones the judge reportedly took at liberal Chapel Hill. From the blog:
Manning also poked fun at Chapel Hill’s ban on public consumption of alcohol, as a man charged with that crime waited for his case to be heard.
“He’s got the most benign charge on the docket,” Manning said. “It used to be perfectly all right to do so.
“We used to drink beer on a bench and smoke in Chapel Hill,” he said. “I did it for four years until I quit smoking, and then I continued to drink beer.”
Manning wondered why the law does not apply to outdoor dining areas such as the third-floor balcony at Top of the Hill.
“You can lean over and drink your beer and look at Franklin Street, but that’s not in public?”
