Former mayor and D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) was back in court yesterday on charges stemming from two traffic stops last year, one of which resulted from what Secret Service officers say was erratic driving under the influence of alcohol. The full list of charges against Barry, 71, include driving while under the influence, operating a vehicle while impaired, operating an unregistered vehicle and misuse of temporary tags. The trial is scheduled to resume at 1:45 p.m. today at D.C. Superior Court.

The specifics of the case against Barry this time are dubious at best. As the Post explains, Marie Wadford, a secret service officer, testified that Barry failed a field sobriety test, smelled of alcohol and had red eyes when he was pulled over around 5 a.m. on Sept. 10 near the White House. The Washington Times reports that Officer Ryan Monteiro said he saw Barry stop his car at a green light, drive through a red light, and put his 1995 Chevrolet Camaro in reverse on a one-way street. Monteiro said he smelled alcohol on Barry and his speech was slurred. But three hours later, Barry’s breathalyzer test registered .02, far below the legal limit of .08, and he later refused to submit to a urine test when officers wanted to confirm the results.

The other charges come from a traffic stop in December, when U.S. Park Police pulled Barry over in Southeast for driving too slowly. He was charged with misuse of temporary tags and operating an unregistered vehicle.

This wouldn’t be the first time we’d ever expressed doubt at the prospect of Barry managing to get into real trouble for anything, but here we go again. It’s also worth noting that Barry’s trial is receiving far less attention than the Pearson Pants Proceedings, but it’s hard to say whether that’s to the credit of Pearson’s wackiness or the overall hum-ho feeling one gets from reading about one more Barry trial.