Yp, your life might get ruined but for the judge it's just another day at the job. Need to clear the docket, meet Jeff for lunch and then plan his golfing weekend.
Oh, he owes $127 and he's not here? Arrest warrant!
Oh, he owes $127 and he's not here? Arrest warrant!
The "effect" shown in the study that demonstrated this was probably caused by batching of certain kinds of defendants/cases by time of day, e.g. put the longest (most difficult) cases first, then have a bunch of easy no decisions right before the break. (That's not what really happens, it's just an example, I don't remember what really happens).