My Reflection Of A Trip To The Courtroom

This was our first time visiting the court. The historical coach wood and jarrah timber within the structure of the courtroom represented authority and tradition. The high ceilings and the overall architecture instilled a sense of power and security. This was what we expected. We were excited to be in the midst of the rights, privileges and responsibilities of the Australian Judicial System.

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.

ISSUE: (1) The police department continued with the interrogations process that led to incriminating statements without reading the defendant’s rights.

“The prosecution may not use statements, whether exculpatory or inculpatory, stemming from questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or otherwise

The courtroom is a vital part of the criminal justice system, and a major role in the judicial branch of our government. In the courtroom there are specified roles given to certain people that allow them to to actively engage in the system and get it to work efficiently and properly so that justice is served. The major roles of the courtroom work group are: Police officer, prosecutor, defense attorney, judge, defendant, victim, bailiff, court reporter, and the jury. In this essay I will describe in depth the responsibilities of each of these important courtroom characters.

Who you would expect to be in the courtroom were there. There was the Honorable Judge

On October 21, 2014 I went to a court to listen in on some proceedings. It was pretty difficult to find one that was open to the public in this court. Many courtrooms were private or some hearings were irrelevant with what I was looking for. The bailiffs were really nice they helped guide us to the big courtroom that allowed proceedings to be heard by the public. There were some trials that we couldn’t attend because it was a more serious crime or there were juveniles involved and since they are under age we couldn’t be there for it. The courtroom I was in had a professional atmosphere to it but kind of unorganized because there were a bunch of papers all over the place and some of the inmates didn’t show up so the judge would put them to the side. Majority of the inmates being held for drugs, driving under the influence, or physical violence.

On Friday, March 23, 2017, I observed activities at the C.J.C. from 8:05 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. I had opportunities to view Magistrate Rice preside over bail hearings, Judge Thomas Gerhet preside over a trial and conduct ‘Drug Court’ progress hearings, and Judge Frank Palumbo conduct probation hearings. Although, I witnessed over 26 different hearings, due to assignment constraints this paper will focus largely on one case and

I was still filled with anticipation and was quite surprised at the differences between my first and second experience. I was formally dressed and did not really blend in with anyone else sitting in the courtroom. The attorneys seemed to come and go as they pleased, with no deference or respect for the proceedings in session.

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 the Florida Keys 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.

I was the sole public member here at this specific court, which made it seem a bit more daunting than usual. This court was probably where I had an awe moment for myself. The room was filled with marble and gold trimming everywhere. The official courtroom was carpeted with wood everywhere. The judge on duty, Honorable Alvin K. Hellerstein had not yet arrived when I was there. Outside the courtroom, counsels and attorneys are discussing and/or gossiping at the moment before the case starts. The atmosphere of this courtroom is exactly what I expected a courtroom to be like. This feeling was not met in the NY criminal and civil courts. One thing that was noticed was that there were zero court officers in the courtroom so far which seemed very odd, given the daunting nature of the whole room. The transcriber, more commonly known as the court reporter, arrived. The lack of my phone gives me no sense of time. It felt like I was there for about 5 minutes but it was more like ten to fifteen minutes had passed. There was an abnormal lack of modern feel, but certainly no lack of modern devices. The courtroom that I was in had several computers, which were equipped with some of the latest software made for them.

The first case I observed being heard before the court was a criminal case. In this case, there was no jury present and very few spectators. The case was already in the sentencing stage, meaning the judge was ready to give their verdict to the present parties. The defendant was being charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. The plaintiff was the

I was highly comfortable in the courtroom that I chose to walk into. I walked into the courtroom after the hearing had started, and the judge was very welcoming. I did not feel as if I was interrupting at all. The judge was exceptionally kind. He even stopped the hearing to welcome me. He questioned why I was there and I told him I had a school project that I needed to sit through a court hearing. He welcomed me, yet again, and continued the hearing. Other than the initial introduction, I was not active in the session. I sat quietly in the middle of the courtroom behind the plaintiff, taking notes on the

After the arraignments are finished, they begin the traffic cases. The court room is set up where the prosecution sits on the left side of the room and the defense sits on the right. There is a

I went to the court on October 13, around 10:30. When I first walked in there were a lot of people there I wasn’t expecting that at all. Security was higher than at the magistrate court. There were attorneys there but they stand next to there defendants at all times since it was still assembly justice so the trials didn’t go on for days if the most for about 30 minutes. The first case I had a chance was already on its way so I don’t know how long it had been going on for. The defendant was wearing a dark blue jump suit. As well as he had some chains aournd his waist