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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Judge Robert Gorin stormed out of court Thursday afternoon, resulting in a woman in custody entering a judge-less courtroom minutes later.

Gorin was presiding over an arraignment for a man charged with controlling a motor vehicle while impaired when he abruptly left the courtroom, visibly frustrated. A woman was already on her way up from the courthouse cell for a hearing but the judge was gone by the time she arrived.

Court clerks in the room appeared to be baffled and guessed Gorin would be back in 15 minutes. He did not reappear until at least 20 minutes later.

Gorin's rushed departure seemed to stem from the man's arraignment hearing. The appointed defence lawyer for the day, Jay Bran, had asked Gorin to postpone the man's hearing to the next day at 9:30 a.m. Bran said his request was motivated by a wish to speak to the man before his court appearance.

Gorin responded, "I'm not adjourning court for one day just because you think something is going to happen."

"You should have a plan when coming to court," added Gorin.

During the imposed break, both Crown lawyer Terri Nguyen and Bran were asked to see Gorin in the judge's chambers beside the courtroom. When they first attempted to get in, the court sheriff's key card would not work. Minutes later the door opened from the inside and the two lawyers entered.

Gorin appeared somewhat calmer on his return to the bench, saying that if it seemed he had chastised Bran, he had not meant it to. The real problem, Gorin said, was not Bran but the developing habit of having arraignments during afternoon court sessions when they are meant to happen in the morning.

"The court is not at the beck and call of the police," said Gorin. "We are prepared to accommodate arraignments at 9:30 in the morning, not at 1:30."

Gorin asked Nguyen to relay this reminder to RCMP and staff at the Crown's office - and then granted Bran's request to stay the man's hearing until Friday morning.