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A Texas lawyer accidentally showed up to a court hearing with a Zoom kitten filter on

@lawrencehurley/Twitter

Court proceedings are supposed to be serious, solemn, and dignified. Silliness and shenanigans are not generally tolerated in a courtroom—a fact that judges, lawyers, and anyone who's ever been to court knows.

So when a lawyer shows up to a court hearing on Zoom with his face turned into an adorable kitten, what is the appropriate response? When the judge then points out that the lawyer has a cat filter on and the lawyer says—with his kitten face—he can't figure out how to turn it off, are the people present allowed to laugh out loud?

Because that scenario is universally hilarious. It also just happened for real in the 394th Judicial District Court of Texas.

According to the Houston Chronicle, lawyer Rod Ponton arrived at a hearing over Zoom with a kitten face filter activated on his computer. The filter, superimposed over Ponton's real face, reflects his speech and facial movements in the kitten's face, making it appear that the kitten is speaking.

District Judge Roy Ferguson immediately pointed out Ponton's problem, and the poor lawyer explained that he and his assistant were trying to change it. Ponton-as-kitten legitimately looks panicked, which is hilariously cute. It only gets funnier when the judge reiterates, "I think it's a filter," as if there was some possibility that the lawyer may, in fact, be a cat.


Then Ponton, with his kitten face, tells Judge Ferguson that he's prepared to go forward. "I'm here, live," he says. "I'm not a cat."

THE LAWYER ACTUALLY TOLD THE JUDGE HE WASN'T A CAT Y'ALL. You cannot write this stuff. This is forever funny 2021 gold, right here.

The kitten mishap was apparently short-lived, as they figured out how to turn it off shortly after this clip. But still, so dang funny.

Judge Ferguson apparently agreed that it was hilarious, since he shared the clip on YouTube along with this note on Twitter:

"IMPORTANT ZOOM TIP: If a child used your computer, before you join a virtual hearing check the Zoom Video Options to be sure filters are off. This kitten just made a formal announcement on a case in the 394th (sound on). #lawtwitter #OhNo

These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession's dedication to ensuring that the justice system continues to function in these tough times. Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace. True professionalism all around!"

While legal proceedings are indeed serious business—and while it's impressive that those present managed to maintain their professionalism—it's nice to see Judge Ferguson share the fun of the moment. The absurdity of these times leads to absurdity at times, and being able to laugh together over such silliness is healthy comic relief.

If only Judge Ferguson had called for "claw and order," we'd have a perfect story on our hands. But this will definitely do for today.

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A European court's ruling about religious clothing could have unfortunate results.

Should an employer be allowed to ban an employee from wearing a hijab?

A European court recently issued a controversial ruling that effectively says employers can legally ban their employees from wearing religious symbols at work.

And while the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling doesn't single out any one religion, the cases in question involved Samira Achbita, a Muslim woman who was fired from her job as a receptionist for wearing a hijab to work, and Asma Bougnaoui, a design engineer at an IT consultancy firm fired after a customer complained about her headscarf.

Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images.

In its ruling, the ECJ stated that companies are allowed to institute in-house rules prohibiting employees from wearing political, philosophical, or religious symbols, in order to project a neutral public image. And while it seems fair enough that a private company may not want to come off as endorsing the political or religious views of its employees, it comes at a time when anti-Muslim sentiment is reaching a fever pitch across Europe and North America.

This ruling will almost certainly not help.

This ruling, while non-binding, sends a discouraging message that may come off as legitimizing anti-Muslim views.

"It will lead to Muslim women being discriminated in the workplace, but also Jewish men who wear kippas, Sikh men who wear turbans, people who wear crosses. It affects all of them, but disproportionately Muslim women," Maryam H'madoun of the Open Society Justice Initiative told The Guardian.

Others are worried this ruling will encourage more companies to adopt bans on religious wear, effectively banning hijabis from the workforce.

"I am a top performer at my company and headscarf doesn't make difference to my talent, my skills, my performance or my work but then I could be kicked out from my job because I wear a scarf," said one woman in an interview with the BBC. "If I have to choose between my head scarf and job, I will definitely choose my head scarf."

A young woman in London wearing a hijab. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

Those of us who aren't Muslim need to take a long look at ourselves and question why this matters to us. Because it really shouldn't.

In a statement to The Guardian, right-wing German politician Georg Pazderski lauded the ECJ's decision, calling the hijab "much more than a religious symbol" and "a political statement of oppression."

It's not an uncommon argument either. In support of various bans on Muslim headwear, many non-Muslims suggest that these are oppressive pieces of clothing that nobody should be forced to wear. On Twitter, Zainab Akhtar shot that argument down, writing, "There is NO difference between forcing a Muslim woman to wear a hijab and forcing her to remove it."

If non-Muslims actually care about oppression, it's time we stopped denying people the right to express their religious beliefs through what they wear. There is nothing "liberating" about this disturbing trend of banning religious garb.

Learn more about today's ruling — and what you can do about it — at Amnesty International and Open Society Foundations.

Heroes

Meet the teens leading an unprecedented lawsuit against the U.S. government.

'We are the ones we've been waiting for.'

Out of all the things teenagers are known to do, suing the U.S. government isn't one of them.

Go ahead and add it to the list.

15-year-old Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez and 20 other young people ages 8 to 20 have sued the government for its inaction on climate change — and so far they've been successful. This is, needless to say, unprecedented.

Two of the plaintiffs, Xiuhtezcatl and Victoria, react to the judge's decision.

"Judge Coffin decided our Complaint will move forward and put climate science squarely in front of the federal courts," said the plaintiffs' attorney, Philip Gregory.

The 21 young plaintiffs argue that this case is about their constitutional right to life, liberty, and property and that the government hasknown for decades that carbon dioxide pollution has been causing catastrophic climate change. Even with that knowledge, the government has failed to take action and do something about it to help future generations. In fact, the youths' complaint alleges the government has taken definite actions to make climate change worse.

They are having none of that.

When you hear Xiuhtezcatl talk, you realize it was only a matter of time.

All photos used with permission.

Xiuhtezcatl (pronounced "shu-TEZ-cuht") has been leading a youth movement to save the planet since he was ordering from the kids menu at the age of 6. He has assembled a global army of young people over the years with his organization Earth Guardians (which just keeps growing bigger!) to demand sustainable policy from world leaders. The Colorado-based organization has over 1,800 crews on six continents — and counting, partially thanks to social media.

In 2014, Xiuhtezcatl founded Rising Youth for Sustainable Environment (RYSE), a youth council that helps to plan, train, and execute an agenda to help combat climate change. Between the council's role in this federal lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of them by Our Children’s Trust, and the lawsuits they have on the way in other sates, it's clear they are onto something.

Not only does the lawsuit put pressure on world leaders, but the fossil fuel industry must also take it — and young people — seriously. Boom.

"When those in power stand alongside thevery industries that threaten the future of my generation instead of standing with the people, it is areminder that they are not our leaders," said Xiuhtezcatl. "The real leaders are the twenty youth standing with me in court todemand justice for my generation and justice for all youth."

Earth Guardians at Pittsburgh Power Shift in 2015.

For now, the plaintiffs have only been granted permission to argue the case in federal court. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

"Never before in the history of our laws have we seen a coordinated set of legal actions on this scale," said University of Oregon law professor Mary Wood.

It's inspiring to see these young people stand up for their generation and those that will follow. But when you talk to Xiuhtezcatl, you're reminded that they've been forced into this situation. Leaders have failed to act on climate change, so it's up to them to do something about it.

As he puts it, "We are the ones we've been waiting for."

So they'll do it themselves.

Most Shared

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are joining forces for animals everywhere.

Stewart-Colbert 2016, anyone?

Breaking news, internet: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are planning a reunion on May 7, 2016.


Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Comedy Central.

Unfortunately, the two won't be announcing a "Daily Show Part 2" nor will they be launching a Stewart-Colbert 2016 presidential ticket.

It's a shame we'll never know what those campaign rallies would look like (but one can dream).

Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images.

The pair will, however, be doing arguably the next best thing: fighting for animal rights.

Photo by Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego via Getty Images.

Stewart and Colbert are headed to the Montclair Film Festival together on Saturday, May 7, and the former "Daily Show" host plans to introduce "Unlocking the Cage." Colbert is on the festival's advisory board, and his wife, Evelyn, is the board president.

"Unlocking the Cage" follows the story of lawyer Steven Wise, who aims to "break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans."

"Given that the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are people, why not chimps?" a film explainer given to Upworthy noted.

Photo courtesy of "Unlocking the Cage," used with permission.

In the film, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Wise and his legal team argue certain creatures with advanced cognitive capabilities — like chimpanzees, dolphins, and elephants — should be provided with certain personhood rights in order to protect them from abuse.

If it seems odd that Stewart is spending his retirement introducing animal rights films, you probably missed the memo on the comedian's long-term retirement plans.

Stewart's pristine, 12-acre property outside New York City has been transformed into an animal safe haven.

Last October, Stewart and his wife, Tracey, announced their New Jersey farm would become a Farm Sanctuary.


Farm Sanctuary — a group that raises awareness around the injustice of factory farms — has properties throughout the U.S. like Stewart's where abandoned and rescued animals are housed.

"We're going to build new advocates, new curious learners, and new leaders for this very important movement," Tracey announced at a gala for the nonprofit last year about the Stewarts' new plans.

(I never thought I'd be jealous of a pig until now.) GIF via CBS This Morning/YouTube.

It's hard to fathom a Stewart-Colbert reunion that isn't worthy of our attention.

These are the men who brought us the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, after all.

But a reunion to shine a light on our furry friends in need seems especially fitting for a dynamic duo with such big hearts.

(And I'm still holding out hope for Stewart-Colbert 2020). Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

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