the middle ages

I was sitting having a cup of coffee when the clerk to the court phoned me. He said it was essential that I get to court anyway that I could, the Judge really wanted to talk to me. I asked him if it could be done over the telephone. He hummed and hawed and eventually said no. The Judge wanted me there. It took me 2 hours and 30 minutes to get there. The Judge was very grateful. I wasn't sworn in, and he asked me three questions, which probably took about 5 minutes in all, and then dismissed the case. Why? What was that all about? Why couldn't he have spoken to me on the telephone? (By the way, it's a long story, but neither of the parties had bothered to turn up to this, the final hearing.)