Gotham Gossipist: Julie Pacino Arrested For Drunk Driving, But Will Celebrity Justice Prevail?

By Kimberly Rae Miller

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- If reality TV has taught us anything it's that money can't buy you class.  That goes for the children of celebrities, too.

One famously fathered New Yorker learned that the hard way on Saturday when she was arrested for drunk driving in SoHo.

Julie Pacino, the 21- year-old daughter of Al Pacino, was stopped at a traffic checkpoint on W. Houston Street in the wee hours of Saturday morning.  As People Magazine reports, the young woman admitted to having consumed three beers in addition to smoking marijuana, police confirmed.

Sheesh, driving in NYC is hard enough when you're sober!

It looks like her bloodline couldn't keep her out of trouble. After a Saturday arraignment, Pacino was released on her own recognizance.

Daddy dearest appears to be keeping mum about the incident, which just goes to show: Even if your father is Scarface, you still have to obey the law.  Well, sorta…

The fact that Julie Pacino actually saw the inside of a detention facility is a rarity. Across the United States in 2011 alone, we've seen a plethora of celebrity drunk drivers.

The list includes, but is not limited to:  Estella Warren, Flo Rida, Alec Baldwin's wife (her second DUI), Jamie Pressly, Chris Klein, Vince Neil, Stephanie Pratt, Mel Gibson, Heather Locklear, Keifer Sutherland, David Cassidy, Mischa Barton, Haley Joel Osmet, Rick Springfield, and Nick Nolte.

Photos: Celebrity Train Wrecks

Most of whom walked away with a slap on the wrist and a little bad publicity, the exception being rapper Flo Rida who actually did serve jail time.

So, what does this say about the celebrities and the legal system?  Well, apparently if you're a rapper, or not a fame-monger (Julie went to public school and has yet to star in a reality show), you actually have to serve time.  If you're white, famous, and rich notsomuch.

Seeing as how that's a pretty tiny portion of the population, it looks like the majority of us are actually going to have to drive sober.  Bummer.

What do you think Julie Pacino's arrest says about celebrity justice? Let us know in the comments...

Kimberly Rae Miller is a writer, actress, and host living in New York City (kimberlyraemiller.com).