Judge Paul Allen Mattarazzo

Concept: Your Juridical Nightmare

AKA: Judge Mattarazzo is not the sort of person who usually has a nickname. Only people he grew up with are still allowed to call him “Peewee” without getting punched.

Desc: Topping out 5’2” and 220 pounds, Paul is still fairly strong for his size. He goes to the gym, and he does not skip leg day.  Most of his hair on top is gone but what remains is still as black as a raven’s feather.  He sports a USMC tattoo on his right bicep which is how a poor kid like him got to go to law school in the first place.

He’s got glasses for reading. He wears black pants, a regular white shirt, his robe, and bright green Chuck Taylor All-Stars on any given day he’s in court.  He’s in his 50’s and is still in pretty good shape.

History: A poor kid from the neighborhood back in the day. Pretty smart, if a bit short, kinda scrappy.  As soon as he’s old enough he follows in his father’s footsteps and enlists in the corp, over his father’s strong objections. While being one of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children was no day at the beach, it concretized a certain amount of toughness the young man already possessed. When he mustered out, he took his GI bill and his ridiculous LSAT score and went to Harvard Law.

They have a saying about law school. “A” students end up teaching law. “B” students end up on the bench, and “C” students end up practicing.  Paul was an “A” student, but teaching didn’t really appeal to him. So he went to the bench.

Paul is the sort of man who knows that he doesn’t have an unerring sense of right and wrong. But he also is the sort of man who never ever stops trying. He works very diligently to uphold the public trust as a circuit court judge (Which is an elected position) and reads voraciously to stay abreast of things. (Truth be told, he’s wrecking his eyes.)

While most of his constituency may not know anything about him, he takes his responsibilities very very seriously. He’s the sort of blessing in a community that is almost completely invisible to most folks.

And here’s the other end, Paul, unbeknownst to himself, has been gifted. Nobody seems sure when or how it happened, but he seems to be proofed against mental and emotional tampering of a supernatural nature.  Oh sure, if you kidnapped his wife and kids, you could probably get him to do something out of line, but try to put the whammy on him and it slides right the fuck off.  Certain people have run up against this already and the word is starting to get around.

And you know, it’s not even to say that he’s NEVER done anything shady. He’s fixed a ticket or two for friends. But on the whole, he’s as clean as they come. and if you AREN’T, then it’s likely to be a bad scene for you if you end up on his docket.

Attitude: “Mr. Holmes, I’m sure your client is paying you an exorbitant amount of money for this elaborate song and dance routine. And I certainly understand that it is in your best interest to stretch that out as long as you can, but MY time is being paid for the by the state taxpayers and I am DONE with you wasting it. Call your next witness.”

Skills: Socially, he’s solid, not remarkable mind you, but solid. It should be noted that when he’s got his robe on, he’s effectively using equipment that bumps up his presence rolls by +2  Physically, he’s also solid. He gets in some running and a bit of racquetball each weekend. When he was growing up he got into a lot of fight because of his size, and his pops got him into golden gloves. So he’s got some dots of boxing. He hasn’t thrown a punch in a while, but he hasn’t forgotten how either.

Mentally, Paul Mattarazzo is a flying steel fortress. he has academics 5, and a few specialties in that, as well as Politics 4 and Investigation4 with few specialties each. He subscribes to over 200 RSS feeds on various sites. His wife allows him the iPad but refuses to allow him a smartphone of any sort. “If I did that, Your children and I would never see your eyes again.”

It should also be noted that Paul has both a resolve and a composure of 4. This, as far as anyone can tell, is entirely natural.

Gear: Aside from the aforementioned iPad, and the normal stuff you find in a man’s pockets, The Judge’s everyday carry is pretty normal, except for one thing. He carries a 357 magnum under his right armpit. He runs some shells through that thing every once in a while, but not as regularly as he thinks he ought to.

Home: He and Veronica and their 3 kids have a lovely place up the Heights. Plenty of space, lots of light. Big backyard with a pool. His eldest, Anthony, is usually there doing laps. Swims like a fish that kid.  The house is nestled in a gated community for extra security. The HOA is a total pain in the ass, but knowing that no one can just wander into the neighborhood offers Paul some much-needed peace of mind.

Circle:  Being an elected official, and a scrupulous one. Paul holds very few people dear. Veronica is much more social than he. If Paul thinks he ought to know someone a bit better, he’s perfectly capable of running the public records and/or using the software on his computers to do the same. As it is, The only people he really knows outside of court are a few people from his diocese and an old Marine buddy or two. Of those people, almost all of them think Paul is the smartest and most practical person they know.

Story Uses:

“I’ll allow it.”

If your character happens to be on the shady side of the law, Judge Mattarazzo is your worst nightmare. He’s practical, competent, proofed against most forms of tampering, and almost completely immune to being fast-talked. If you find yourself on his docket, you could be in for a rough ride.

“Good luck with that counselor, Call your first witness...”

On the other hand. He’s a decent man, it’s almost impossible that he’s in someone’s pocket, and he knows the law inside and out. If you’re on the side of the angels and up in front of him. You might just stand a chance.

Connections:

* All of the Police in Painted Corners town have been up in front of the Judge at one time or other. Detective Bob Greider is the only one he actually considers a friend. (Dude, it's Bob. C'mon.) At various points, they either love the guy, or hate the guy, or are scared shitless of the guy.  Officer Honus Brightwater gets cotton-mouthed at just the mention of the Judge's name.

* Considering how often she gets arrested Reverend Dr. Miranda Goines has been up in front of the judge more than once. While he empathizes with his various concerns, he's not a fan off going outside the system to seek redress. So often, he fines her stiffly. Then turns around and makes a personal donation to whatever charity she was working toward at the time of her arrest. Randa has noticed this, and for her own reasons, keeps her mouth shut about it.

*Some of the hardened criminals have been up in front of the judge. These would include: Krieger, Ezekiel Stubbs, Jamal Cooper, Drago Velikovski, William Lee Travis, (Big case that one...) John Joseph Staglione, "Dr. Coulton Bennett" (Many many years ago.) Esmerelda Duschene and a few of the other girls over at Bryson Import/Export, and of course, Teflon John Galloway. Galloway seems to be the great white whale for Judge Mattarazzo. There always seems to be something wrong with the evidence, or the arrest, or the witness. He'd like to wipe the smile off that redneck's face.

* The high point of any day in court is if Charlie is on the docket. The Judge actually likes the crazy old man and likes listening to his half-crazy stories.(Assuming, of course, he can keep his pants on.) Sure, he's going to arraign him pretty quick and remand him to county, so that the old man can get 3 hots and a cot for the foreseeable future...and Charlie seems to understand THAT much at least. So it's a win-win.

* The firm of Holmes, Gillis, Baker, Savage, North, and Dean usually has something of an axe to grind with the Judge. This stems from the fact that Roderick Holmes VASTLY underestimated who he was dealing with in his first case in front of him and Paul, after finally losing his patience, which was not a usual occurrence, dressed him down in open court for a full 20 minutes. From this point onward, Dealing with Judge Mattarazzo was dealt with like defusing a bomb with a mercury trigger. The only member of the firm that the Judge actually respects is Ilyanna Baker (Always on time, always prepared. aggressive and smart. A top notch litigator.)

* While most of the PD's can be unbearable whiners and poorly prepared and sleep deprived, The Judge is inclined to give slightly more latitude to Christine Horowitz. His heart breaks for her a little. He sees what she's trying to do, and empathizes, but there ARE times when Christine's clients are guilty as fuck. He wishes she'd get off the Heartbreak Train that is the P.C. Public defenders office. 

* As you can well imagine, the idea of an incorruptible and unbendable Judge is something that gives certain members of the inner circle of The Vermillion House a collective case of the night sweats. There are plans in place, of course, should anyone with real standing face prosecution, but most of those plans involve incredibly suspicious acts. The timing of them and their nature would likely make anyone in the media ask additional awkward questions.