Well, it was a good day for 2 cops in Brooklyn fed court. They helped a sick judge and they won their case. Hope they went off and tried their luck at the Lotto.
By John Marzulli
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Two city cops who were defendants in a civil case came to the aid of a stricken federal judge presiding over their trial in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
But the nerve-racking day had a happy ending – Chief Judge Raymond Dearie appeared to be okay and the jury cleared Officers William Higgins and Thaddeus Niksa of wrongdoing.
“They’re cops first and defendants second,” said their union lawyer, Gregory Longworth. “Their instincts kicked in and they rendered immediate first aid to the judge.”
Dearie was charging the jury on the law when he apparently fainted and slumped forward on the bench.
Higgins and Niksa leaped from the defense table and assisted the judge from his chair to a hallway behind the courtroom. They loosened his tie, propped up his feet and checked his pulse while co-counsel Mitch Garber called 911.
Another judge was summoned to complete the charge and the jury deliberated about three hours before reaching a verdict.
Higgins, a 14-year-veteran, and Niksa, a 15-year-veteran were accused of false arrest and violating the First Amendment rights of a pair of foul-mouthed sisters from Queens.
