In 1986, Jefferson County, Alabama Circuit Court Judge Jack D. Carl passed a note to his law clerk during a hotly contested court hearing. The law clerk read the note, smirked, balled it up, and threw it in the trash can. During the lunch break, I retrieved Judge Carl’s note from the trash can. The note said, “I can’t stand this arrogant nigger,” referring to me. This article tells the story of what happened next.