The common man
On his way from the dock to the goal
Does not know the law,
He does not know the law—
CJN says ignorantia juris non excusat,
Though the common man knows not the law.
The lay landlords
On their cruise from their tenement
To prison-term incarceration
Do not know forceful ejection is a crime,
They do not know of the crime—
CJN affirms their incarceration
Amici curia say ignorance is no excuse,
So CJN affirms their incarceration.
The Merchant of Venice
On his voyage of pound for flesh
Does not know of id idem,
He does not know of id idem—
CJN upholds the sanctity of id idem,
Leaving Shylock to bite off Antonio’s flesh,
Though the Merchant knows not the law.
The erring trial judge
On his downfall from the bench to his house
Does not get an admonition pat,
He does not get an admonition pat—
CJN chairs the NJC to pull the trigger,
Isn’t a trial judge supposed to know the law?
The Honourable CJN
May not know of Dalton’s atomic laws.
He need not know of Dalton’s atomic laws,
For what concerns His Lordship
With indivisibility and indestructibility of atoms?
The Honorable CJN need not know of atoms.
The Honourable CJN
May not know of Malthusian theories
Or Freudian laws of psychoanalysis,
He need know not of Malthus and Freud—
For what business does His Lordship have
To play the expert in Economics and Psychology?
The Honourable CJN need not know of the duo.
The Honourable CJN
May not know of Newton’s laws of motion
He need not be abreast of Newton’s laws,
For His Lordship had no degree in Physics
Or the science of matter and movement—
The Honourable CJN need know not of Newton’s.
The Honourable CJN
Is degreed and lettered in law
And the mechanics of the judicial system—
He is degreed and lettered in the duo.
So, His Lordship should know the implication…
Of the principle of lura curia juria
Of the principle of ignorantia juris non excusat
Of failure of an accused to appear in court
Of contempt in and outside the face of the court
Of the power of a judge to issue arrest warrant
Of forgetfulness in declaring declarable assets,
And of the equality of all before the law.
–Bolaji Ramos, Esq.
Copyrighted 20022019