Judiciary
From Courtroom to Clickbait: Decide displays on viral video livestreams in his court docket
September 3, 2025, 10:17 am CDT
What was as soon as a quiet nook of Texas’ justice system has turn into a viral spectacle, because of a mysterious YouTube account that reposts his court docket’s livestreams. As we speak, Texas Decide David Fleischer is an unintentional web star. (Screenshot from YouTube)
Sporting small spherical glasses, a floral go well with and a bow tie, Decide David Fleischer brings a splash of character to an in any other case solemn Harris County Legal courtroom.
What was as soon as a quiet nook of Texas’ justice system has turn into a viral spectacle, because of a mysterious YouTube account that reposts his court docket’s livestreams. As we speak, Fleischer is an unintentional web star.
Shortly after he began livestreaming in the course of the pandemic, the web took discover. The movies, which frequently begin with the decide uttering his catch phrase “let’s go nerds,” have been edited into compilations by somebody known as Victoria and posted onto her YouTube account.
With over 600,000 views as of this writing, essentially the most watched clip was posted 9 months in the past and contains a drunk driving trial the place the protection cross-examines a police officer and secures a dismissal from the decide primarily based on these solutions.
Different extensively considered clips embody one the place a defendant curses on the decide and one the place the decide yells at a defendant for allegedly bringing a Whizzinator to faux a drug check and one the place Fleischer jumps out of his seat to beg defendants to return to highschool, to get their GEDs and to by no means ever attain for the gun.
“That’s in regards to the worst factor that you are able to do,” he exclaims as an legal professional describes a threatening office state of affairs.
Fleischer takes specific offense to DUI circumstances, which he says are rampant within the space. He typically imposes curfews on the defendants, and he urges them to return to highschool, in order that they don’t should stay the prison life-style sooner or later.
If it appears like he’s reprimanding his personal kids, that’s intentional, Fleischer explains. A father of 4—ages 3 to 14—Fleischer says he realizes how fortunate he was, and nonetheless is, to have such a supportive household. As a teen, he says, he was “hell on wheels,” however his dad and mom calmly and repeatedly reined him in and helped him keep targeted on his future. He additionally realizes that many others aren’t so lucky, and his objective is to be the father or mother they by no means had.
“I like serving to individuals,” he says. “I attempt to do the identical factor that my dad and mom did to me for each particular person, as a result of some individuals by no means had parental figures.”
Fleischer by no means strove to be a viral star, and he rejects the concept of being known as an “influencer,” regardless of the a whole lot of 1000’s of views his movies obtain on YouTube.
However he didn’t thoughts all his viewers—particularly those that tuned into his DUI circumstances—no less than not initially.
“We lead the nation in DUIs and fatalities,” Fleischer says. “The thought is that on YouTube, everyone sees it. They will see after they’re out, and so they’ve had three glasses of wine, ‘I higher not try this.’”
His kids, particularly his teen—are actually getting an schooling. Generally, Fleischer says, his 14-year-old son will textual content him from class as a result of he and his associates are watching it, although they’re not imagined to be on YouTube throughout faculty. On the similar time, he’s happy that they get to see what occurs when individuals violate bond circumstances, after they drive below the affect and after they fail drug exams.
“The worth is the schooling that these youngsters see,” he says. “They see the consequence of criminality.”
The issue, nonetheless, is that his YouTube movies “went off the deep finish,” he says. The movies grew to become overrun with hateful feedback and on-line bullying—none of which Fleischer reads. In April, he stopped livestreaming altogether, which additionally ended the nameless reposting by his mysterious YouTuber.
Quite than educating viewers, he says, the streaming led many individuals making enjoyable of the defendants. That’s not what he had supposed.
There have been additionally the disapproving glances from colleagues who didn’t approve of Fleischer’s sudden fame. Some judges, Fleischer says, wouldn’t even have a look at him as a result of they hated his movies a lot.
Nonetheless others are hoping he returns to the tiny display. This consists of his nameless YouTuber, who responded to an e mail however declined to share a reputation past “Victoria.”
“He’s by far the preferred decide on YouTube, and I feel the web,” Victoria wrote in her e mail. “He’s somebody who cares about individuals lots whereas additionally taking no BS from individuals.”
Previous to changing into a decide in 2019, Fleischer was a protection legal professional for about twenty years. The turning level got here when Donald Trump began getting concerned in politics, making the hair on the again of Fleischer’s neck arise. Fleischer was very involved that life in the USA may take a flip for the more serious, however he additionally realized that he would possibly be capable to make a constructive distinction.
He says he took a 40%-50% pay reduce to turn into a decide in Texas, a state he says is understood for paying judges lower than most different states.
However Fleischer says it’s his responsibility to offer again, which is why he takes the time to elucidate his judgments to the court docket—even when he loses his mood, which occurs greater than often.
“I’m warning you now to not drive in any respect, and I’m providing you with a curfew,” he informed one alleged DUI defendant. “One false transfer, and I gives you a public hazard and make your bond $150,000, and I don’t care who’s kicking, screaming and crying. My solely concern is public security.”
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