As the divisive impeachment trial against former President Trump got underway on Tuesday, Twitter was in complete unity over a hilarious mishap during a virtual court proceedings in the 394th Judicial District Court in Texas. Judge Roy Ferguson presided over the hearing, but knew something wasn't right when he saw a kitten pop up on the screen.
And now county attorney Rod Ponton will forever be known as the man who called into a hearing as a cat. You can hear him explain how he's "not a cat" as his assistant tries to get rid of the filter. You may have already seen the now viral video, but you know you want to watch it again.
“I’m here live, I’m not a cat,” says lawyer after Zoom filter mishap
— Lawrence Hurley (@lawrencehurley) February 9, 2021
“I can see that,” responds judge pic.twitter.com/HclKlAUwbM
The hilarious clip now has been viewed over 30 million times and "Cat lawyer" became a top trend on Twitter.
Ponton, who we can't help but playfully call a "boomer," is now trying to explain the technical difficulty.
“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," he explained to Reuters. “And everybody’s face popped up except mine Mine was a cat.”
Judge Ferguson said it was a "fun moment" that Ponton handled with grace. But he couldn't help poking some fun at Ponton on Twitter.
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