Guards escorted a handcuffed prisoner into the courtroom where I stood as the court deputy. "Is this a tough judge?" the prisoner asked the baliff.

The baliff replied, "A tough but fair judge."

"Yeah?" continued the prisoner. "How tough?"

"The toughest judge since Pontius Pilate," the baliff replied.

The prisoner answered, "I don't know him. I'm not from around here."