The moment seemed destined for internet fame: a Michigan court room waited for the appearance of the defendant in a suspended driver’s license case. Then he appeared on screen: while driving his car. The shocked judge asked, “Mr. Harris, are you driving?” And the oblivious man said, “Actually, I’m pulling into my doctor’s office. Just give me one second. I’m parking right now.” But the story got even wilder when it emerged taht the 44-year-old has never ever held a driver’s license.

Michigan livestreams its court hearings. Judge Cedric Simpson’s flabbergasted response to Corey Harris driving during his suspended license hearing became a viral sensation. Harris’ “Oh my God” response, when he finally realized his mistake, even became a meme.

The judge wasn’t having it. He immediately revoked Harris’ bail and ordered him to turn himself into the county jail by 6 pm that day.

Some people felt sorry for Harris, who was trying to get to a doctor appointment. The Detroit Metro area has notoriously poor public transit. What’s more, it emerged that Michigan originally issued a license suspension when Harris failed to pay child support–a practice that has folks divided. It’s a good way to get someone’s attention when they owe child support. But if it keeps them from getting to work, how are they supposed to make money to pay child support?

It seems that one judge agreed with critics of the practice. When Harris appealed the suspension in January 2022–after being cited for driving with a suspension in October 2022–the judge ordered it be lifted. Why wasn’t it lifted? Because Harris didn’t pay the county clerk’s office the fee to reverse the suspension.

Harris spent two days in county jail. After his release, he and his new attorney agreed to interviews with the local news channels. He complained that blowback from the viral video has forced him to delete all his social media accounts. He also blamed the court for his license suspension, claiming he was never told to pay the clerk’s fee. But even that doesn’t matter, because Harris never had a license to be reinstated.

That’s right, in Harris’ latest trial, it emerged that the 44-year-old has never had a driver’s license. Not in Michigan. And not in any other state.

Harris appeared in front of Judge Simpson a second time. During this trial, Judge Simpson revealed, “He has never had a Michigan license, ever!” How was a nonexistence license suspended? Michigan can issue a “suspension” to residents who don’t have a license, effectively blocking them from getting one.

In court, Harris blamed this suspension for not getting a license. Simpson countered that the suspension had been lifted, pending the fees Harris owes. He argued for personal responsibility and didn’t mince any words.

“There was no error by anybody. It was a failure on the part of Mr. Harris to do certain things…The person that needed to be blamed is the person that he was staring at in the mirror…He didn’t do what he should have done.”

Judge Cedric Simpson

After the most recent trial, Harris’ new attorney admitted, “It should be something a lesson for all of us…Handle your business. At the end of the day, handle your business.”

Next, find out how you can have your license suspended for unpaid tolls, or watch the infamous Zoom meeting and an interview with Harris in the video below: