It was a gloomy Tuesday morning in Camden on March 18, 2014. Spring break had just began and the

The final courtroom I attended was at the Old City Hall at 60 Queen St. West on September. 15th, at 11:30. The security at this location was more strict which I wasn’t expecting due to the previous visit, I walked into the first courtroom I saw that had a trial in progress and sat down quietly in the back. Once I sat down, I realized that this wasn’t a usual trial I was expecting to observe. In fact it was many smaller ones, going really fast, one after another regarding different situations. When everything was quiet, I noticed a large television in the front of the courtroom with a woman on it. She was in jail on a video conference regarding her lawsuit. The thing that astonished me the most was the foul language she was using to address the judge and the

It was unclear why the judge would deny justice to the vulnerable woman in such a humiliating manner which gave a lead to the corruption that exists in Nevada’s courtrooms (Smartt, 2016). The arrest of Fox on the other hand also gave leads on the chain of incidents that happen in Nevada courts of humiliation and abuse. Thereafter, there were cases marshals who chocked citizens in a courtroom. After the arrest of Fox, he sued for unfair termination and arrest. On the other hand, Judge Patricia was also fired due to misconduct in the courtroom and negligence of work. It was also suspected the judge had been bribed by the plaintiff’s

The book Courtroom 302, written by Steve Bogira in 2005, is about the criminal courts in Chicago, IL. Steve Bogira graduated from Northwestern University, and is an excellent reporter for the Chicago Review. Courtroom 302 is story told mainly from through Steve Bogira’s observations. Bogira observes a courtroom (Courtroom 302), and basically the entire justice system process from beginning to end. The courtroom that Bogira observes is in the control of Judge Daniel Locallo. Judge Locallo helps give Bogira an all access view, plus vital personal thoughts and feelings about issues and events that he has dealt with; and Bogira has observed. Judge Locallo is not the only person that expresses personal information. Many employees of the

The Suffolk Superior Courthouse and Edward W. Brooke Courthouse provided two distinct views into the judicial system. At the Suffolk Superior Court the defendant, Donald Williams, was on trial on charges of assault with intent to murder and aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, both felonies. Contrastingly, I viewed a number of arraignments at the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse where, among the charges, were larceny and assault and battery on an officer, both felonies. The Suffolk Superior Courthouse, being a superior criminal court, dealt with more serious crimes than that of the Edward W. Brooke courthouse, a

For my ethnographic study, I chose to do my research at The Supreme Court Criminal Term. This courthouse is housed in two separate buildings in southern Manhattan, one on 100 Centre Street and the other on 111 Centre Street. I chose this courthouse because it’s convenient being that I live in Manhattan which made it easier for me to access. My commute to the courthouse was simple and quick, I took the 4 or 5 train from 125th street to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall and walked about two blocks. My mother also works nearby so she was able to accompany me during two of my visits. I’ve gone to this courthouse a few times before for friends and family matters which gave me an advantage because I already knew how the entering process went.

Five honourable judges were present during the case and behind respectable judges there were tipstaffs. There were as much tipstaffs as the judges set with papers. There was a microphone set right front of the judges. While the judges made

In Norman Spaulding’s article The Enclosure of Justice: Courthouse Architecture, Due Process, and the Dead Metaphor of Trial, the focus is on the adversarial space, that is, the courthouse in which justice is administered. There is very little said about this space and his article searches for deeper, unexplored connections between justice and the space in which it operates. Using a historical overview, Spaulding shows how courtrooms have become increasingly enclosed; signifying the liberation of law from all political, commercial and social space. Actual courtroom trials are becoming a ‘dead metaphor’ as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) offers better alternatives for mass processing and swift justice in private and enclosed settings. Spaulding concludes, there is a movement towards complete enclosure and further partitioning of the traditional courtroom trial, because it limits interruption, enabling dispassionate, rational, and effective decision making.

​In Court Room A fathers, mothers, grandparents and guardians were all present. All rise was announced as the judge entered the room. Afterwards it was observed that the judge decided to go through the list of names based on cases for the day and the times they were to appear at 9am. This particular court room dealt with fathers who were late on child support payments. Some for the first time and some more than once. The judge, attorneys and other members of the court were well organized. All uniformed personnel including police officers, investigators, attorneys and lawyers sat on the front two

Television shows such as, Law and Order and Aly Mcbeal have forced me to perceive court as a grand building with a large staircase and marble floors. A novice to the court system, I was unpleasantly surprised to find out just what court was like. The lack of free parking and immense amount of eight dollar parking in downtown Atlanta gave me an initial feeling that it was going to be a day of hassle and inconvenience. After realizing I was not on an episode of “Special Victims Unit,” and there was not going to be sudden dramatic music, and many “I objects!” I settled in, and watched the unassuming traffic violations unfold. Therefore, contrary to my expectations, I found myself in a laid back environment where competence

The courtroom can be a very intimidating experience for those when they first enter. During my first visit to court I was confused on where to go and had many questions on what I could and could not do. When I asked around, nobody could give me an answer to those questions so I had to figure it out myself. I visited both the Greensboro and High Point Court Houses and even though they have differences in their organization in the court process could be improved.

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

Furthermore, all types of characters and personalities; people from various social and economic classes were found intermingling within the building’s halls or courthouses. These encounters were often the result of outside conflict for which the courts bear responsibility for mediating. Courts play an important role in the organizational structure of the state with their primary role consisting of enforcing the formal norms better known as laws approved for use by politicians.

In Norman Spaulding’s article The Enclosure of Justice: Courthouse Architecture, Due Process, and the Dead Metaphor of Trial, the focus is on adversarial space; the courthouse where confrontation takes place and justice is administered. With little said about this space Spaulding searches for deeper, unexplored connections between justice and the space in which it operates. Using a historical overview, he shows how courtroom structure has become increasingly enclosed signifying law’s liberation from all political, commercial and social aspects. Furthermore, actual courtroom trials are becoming a ‘dead metaphor’ as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) offer better options, mass processing and immediate justice in private and fully enclosed settings. Spaulding concludes, complemented by history, there exists a movement towards isolation of traditional courtroom space, because it eliminates interruption the

According to Christie’s articles, he stated how the conflict in society can have negative impact in industrialized societies and how legal systems steals the disputes from disputants rather than parties involved. He argues that court procedures have taken away the rights of victims to participate in their own crime and lawyers have become more involved in the outcomes of court proceedings, making courthouse complex and difficult to negotiate. Christie offered ways to reduce the conflict in society so that victims or the parties can become more involved.

“This court is now in session!” The bailiff’s gruff voice thunders across the room, commanding a respectful silence as the honorable judge takes his seat. The back pews scrape against the floor noisily as people hurry to claim their seats. The novice lawyer glares back nervously at the gallery before exchanging a hopeful look with his client, who is just as skittish. A cold sweat began pouring down the lawyer’s neck as he faces down the prosecuting attorney, looking as confident as she was cold. As they lock eyes, the animosity is so thick a knife could cut through it. Eventually the trial begins, and both sides throw verbal cannonballs. As the court proceedings continue, the lawyer is inevitably asked to take the stand and make the final