Court Visit

The importance of show-trials is proving what you are doing looks good, and that is law-abiding. It is important to make everyone happy. (Bach pg.193) A show-trial is a judicial trial held in public with the intention of influencing or satisfying public opinion, rather than of ensuring justice. These show trials resonate deeply with the citizenry. The media world is outrageously popular for captivating the public audience’s attention for court room related cases. An example would be TV. We’ve all came across episodes of “Law and Order.” It appears out to be “how” people think American Justice is. (Bach pg.195) The public attention of media is ranked highly and known as best.

I observed court operations at the Plantation Key Government Center in Tavernier, Florida twice: on October 7th and November 4th. I observed Chief Circuit Judge Carlos Garcia in courtroom A. The courthouse is located in the 16th Judicial Circuit of Florida and it’s a state trial court with general jurisdiction. The first visit was cut short, in part because it was a lighter criminal day than planned, but also I was flabbergasted by the lack of professionalism that was present in this courtroom. I’m not sure if it’s a “court in Paradise” problem, or something that is observed at other courtrooms, however, I’m disappointed in what I saw. Lack of professionalism was evident during both visits from the actors and their actions in the courtroom.

The entire trial was a sham, extremely corrupt due to jury manipulation from the defendant. The jury was allowed to go home to deliberate, giving them time to be threatened, and create a biased opinion from family, friends, media, ect. Also in the court, the judge had suppressed both the wire tape recordings and the lie detector test, throwing away crucial evidence. Not to mention that the only survivor of the

I chose to do my open-court observation on criminal cases. Criminal cases usually involve attorneys that try to prove their argument to the judge. I felt as though this setting would be more interesting to sit and observe versus a civil case where you have two people trying to settle a dispute. Its interesting to see how actual attorneys and judges act in a courtroom instead of what is portrayed on TV. My local courthouse which is in a police station holds preliminary hearings. A preliminary hearing is where the judge decides if there is enough evidence that there was a crime committed and you committed a crime. If the prosecutor fails to do this, then some or all the charges filed against you can be dismissed. There was two different parts to this process that I saw during my observation. The first one is when the defendant waives their hearing. Then the second being where the defendant decides to go through with the hearing. During my observation there was about ten cases, and all but two of them followed through with the hearing. This was very surprising to me as I watched because I couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to at least see if the prosecution had sufficient evidence against them. Also it doesn’t even give their lawyer a chance to argue on their behalf against the prosecution. The first formal person to walk into the courtroom was the public defender. I watched as he called out names, and spoke briefly to nearly every person in the room. My immediate

In the electronic world that we live in, every aspect of life can be broadcast across the country in seconds. This aspect is even more realistic when cameras are front and center in American courtrooms. Each morning and afternoon we turn on the television, reality television takes over and civil lawsuits or divorces are being broadcast on shows such as the Judge Judy Show, Judge Brown Show, Judge Greg Mathis Show or Divorce Court. Many people, young and old, are exposed to these reality shows believing what they see is the “real” criminal justice system at

For my second observation it was a criminal case. When I got to the courtroom the case has already started. This case was about a guy who had already been sentencing to jail and he came back so the judge could reviewed his sentencing. The defendant was on his late 20s and he had previous criminal history. The defense attorney wrote a motion for the judge to review his client’s sentencing because he believed the first judge did not use his discretion wisely. So, therefore he believed that his client should have be sentencing differently. When I got to the courtroom, the judge was reviewing all the defendant’s charges and he was asking the defense attorney questions as well. At the end, the judge decided that the defendant ‘s sentencing would

To start off, for my court observation assignment I chose to see an exceedingly captivating case that had been frequenting the tabloids. Isidro Garcia is a man facing kidnapping and rape accusations after he has been charged with abducting his girlfriend’s fifteen-year old daughter and rapping her on an incalculable number of occasions for a period of ten years. Isidro allegedly forced this woman to live with him for a decade, holding her captive, forcing her to marry him, and act like his wife. Not only was this woman forced to live with Isidro as his wife, but she also later had his child, Lupita. Isidro Garcia reportedly beat the woman into compliance and threatened her in order to get her to cooperate with his demands. According to the Myra, Garcia also told her that if she tried to leave, she would be caught by the authorities and then deported, due to the fact that she was in the country illegally. Garcia relocated Myra to various different locations during her time under his control and had given Myra different identities in order to assure that she could remain in the country undetected, not attracting any unwelcome attention. The victim purportedly went along with Garcia’s demands out of fear and ambiguity. Myra claims that she did not know how to seek help because she was moved around without being told where she was. Additionally, Myra endured captivity due to fear, fear of getting beaten if caught, fear of getting deported if she went to the police, and fear that

Data for the study were collected through a combination of interviews and observations of twelve judges, six females and six males, from two municipal courthouses. Notes, recordings, and observations were then compiled and analyzed for reoccurring themes and categories. The two main feeling rules which judges were expected to follow for the courtroom were identified as being the need for the judges to maintain perceived neutrality and

The jury re-enters the courtroom to deliver the verdict in front of hundreds of people. The bailiff receives the verdict and passes it to the judge. The defendant, prosecutor and victim all stand awaiting the verdict. “Not guilty” the defense claps and celebrates with the hundreds of people who have been following the trial from day 1, while the victim and prosecutor gather their things and prepare to leave the courtroom. Unfortunately, this is the scene in many courtrooms across america, people are not being convicted of crimes that the committed. In America today, people of higher social statuses are able to get away with more crimes such as murder, child pornography, rape, and selling drugs due to an unfair trial.

This paper discusses the observation of a court session held 6th August 2015, at Coo-ma Local Court, beginning at 9.30am. Although I observed three cases, the first two were very short so I have focused on the third case, which consisted of a dispute be-tween Cooma Council and a local grazier regarding a fine issued for negligent weed control.

I believe that I should be chosen to go on the court trip because I am an exceptionally responsible, mature and respectful student who is very interested in furthering my education about the U.S legal justice system (judicial branch). As a responsible student, I consistently complete homework and projects on time while maintaining a place in the Symphonic (highest level) band. I am a mature individual who actively participates in the classroom discussions and add to the overall educational value of the class. I display my respect for others by keeping an open mind to other people’s opinions and ideas even if they do not mirror my own opinions and I highly respect different views whilst seeing things from other people’s perspectives. I would

Many important rules and court room procedures have made a serious impact in the US legal system. Some of these topics are but not limited to de minimus communications, discovery process, the Brady rule, a motion to limine, and witness sequestration rule. Not everyone can agree that these terms have either helped the justice system, or hindered it, but personally I feel that any subject that shares information with both parties and stops surprises on the day of the trial. Since surprises are on the tip of my tongue we can start with one topic that has helped everyone who has been in a court proceeding from showing up blind to court or saved them from a curveball during the heat of the moment.

My stomach shifts uneasily and I notice that my hands are pinching into my skin, my heart racing almost too fast. I feel my pulse pounding in my temples. Anticipation, fatigue, and dread. Yet, there I was, in a Superior courtroom, sitting first chair at the defense's table in another trial. I kept thinking to myself, "it's not that big of a deal, we've been doing this for years," but this trial made me just as nervous as my very first trial. My opponent sat in a blue suit and pink tie, he was leaning forward on folded arms, with a legal pad and papers scattered in front of him. I took in my surroundings. The dark wood panels behind the bench in the courtroom, a bullring in the middle for the attorneys, and empty gallery seats. For the past hour, I had been at the center of a blur of activity, arguing pretrial motions, staying glued to instructing co-counsel on strategy techniques during breaks and every free moment in between. I looked down at the words scribbled in front of me "Be silent, be clear, be brief." As

The courthouse I visited was not one of the largest courthouses but still a good choice for me at least. South Regional Courthouse which is located on 3550 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, FL 33021. Upon Entering the courthouse, I had no idea where to find criminal courts so I went up to the front desk and asked where to go. After explaining I’m a student and I don’t have to be in court today they then advised to to go to two rooms. Courtroom 210 and 230 so I decided to walk directly into 210. Upon entering I noticed the estranged aroma of a courtroom and the many people sitting down waiting to be preceded upon. They were 2 officers in the front which didn’t look too happy but seems like they were used to this by now. I had no idea what criminal charges I was about to encounter but I found a seat in the back and started to listen.

The defendant’s tardiness, as well as his demeanor-very nonchalant- in court, made him appear to be unconcerned with the fact that he was on trial. At one point I thought he was going to fall asleep. This definitely had an impact on his impression on the jurors as they did not seem happy with his behavior and neither was the judge.