A video of a district court in Texas made waves on the internet after a blue-eyed cat showed up in place of an attorney during the virtual proceedings.
Judge Roy Ferguson while opening the virtual court proceedings of the 394th Judicial District Court in Texas on Zoom, did not expect to see two lawyers and a cat.
The cute cat was actually the county attorney Rod Ponton covered by a filter.
“Mr. Ponton, I believe you have the filter turned on in the video settings.”
During the proceedings, the judge said.
Ponton replied that his assistant was trying to fix the settings. He further added something that is now considered the best meme of 2021.
“I’m here live, I’m not a cat,” he said. The video quickly became viral on social media.
“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.” Ferguson wrote in a tweet.
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 @zoom_ushttps://t.co/I0zaj0wu6K
— Judge Roy Ferguson (@JudgeFergusonTX) February 9, 2021
Talking to Reuters, 69-year-old Ponton said that he was unsure how the filter had appeared.
“I logged into my secretary’s computer to appear at this hearing via Zoom, and when everybody’s ready the judge calls the case and everybody’s face is supposed to pop up on Zoom. And everybody’s face popped up except mine. Mine was a cat.”
He said.
Judge Ferguson called it a “fun moment”.
“Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace.”
He said.
