The solemn gravity of the UK Supreme Court was shattered in a moment of digital farce when a history podcast began blaring from a judge’s phone during a critical hearing.

It was a scene straight out of a sitcom, played out in the highest court of the land. As a barrister presented complex legal arguments, the unmistakable voice of historian Tom Holland, co-host of the hit podcast The Rest Is History, suddenly boomed through the courtroom's microphone system. To make matters more surreal, the audio clip featured Holland delivering a satirical impersonation of former US President Jimmy Carter, leaving the legal titans in the room momentarily stunned.

The Lord Briggs Incident

The culprit was identified as Lord Briggs, a Supreme Court Justice, who had inadvertently triggered the playback on his personal device. The audio fed directly into the court’s AV system, amplifying the "Carter" impression to every corner of the room. The initial confusion quickly gave way to suppressed mirth as the realisation dawned on the bench and the bar alike.

Video footage of the incident shows the precise moment the theme music swelled. A lawyer paused mid-sentence, a smile breaking through his professional veneer, while Lord Briggs scrambled to silence the device. "It was switched to silent, do carry on," the Justice muttered, offering a rare glimpse of human fallibility beneath the robes and wigs.

• Viral Justice: The clip was immediately seized upon by the podcast’s social media team, who quipped, "What was Jimmy Carter doing in the Supreme Court?" The incident has since gone viral, humanizing a judiciary often seen as aloof.
• Tech in Court: The mishap highlights the pervasive presence of personal technology even in the most secure and formal environments, serving as a reminder that no one is immune to a "hot mic" moment.

A Moment of Levity

While the court spokesperson issued a formal confirmation and apology, noting that Lord Briggs acted quickly to rectify the error, the damage—or rather, the entertainment—was done. For a few seconds, the weight of the law was lifted by the absurdity of a history podcast, proving that even in the Supreme Court, history has a way of repeating itself, sometimes at max volume.

The hearing eventually resumed, but the ghost of Jimmy Carter lingered in the air, a permanent footnote in the day's legal proceedings.