Those are the words, but here's the resulting context. The author is a public defender tasked with finding the best possible resolution to impossible cases. In

Those are the words, but here's the resulting context. The author is a public defender tasked with finding the best possible resolution to impossible cases. In one case they uttered those 11 words after an unsuspectedly harsh sentence, followed by: > “All right. Mr. Meskhout, I’ll go ahead and give him an opportunity. Since you have asked.” > The judge then imposed two days in jail. Two days instead of one hundred and eighty. It sounds like the words are legalize for "would you please reconsider?" Defendants are streamed in every 5-10 minutes, so in this case, simply asking again was enough for the judge to agree and move on to the next case.