Courtroom Observation essays

Courtroom Observation essays The courthouse itself was abuzz on a Monday morning. Just about every courtroom was filled, some with trials for petty traffic violations, some with murder trials. The courtroom I selected for observation had a small group of people milling about outside, most of them men and women in business suits. Obviously there to witness the trial, I also believed that a few of the people standing outside the room were slated to be witnesses in the case. Usinger -v- Bartholemew Roofing was a criminal negligence suit filed by a man who claimed that the roofing company he hired had deliberately used substandard materials and performed shoddy work. A section of the Usinger home had been destroyed because the roof suddenly caved in over the dining room. Luckily, no one was injured. This was the A few minutes before 9 o'clock, most of the people outside the courtroom meandered inside to take their seats. The courtroom seated about two hundred people in addition to the courtroom officials. I sat in the second-to-last row, next to a man who told me he had just enrolled in law school. After introducing myself as a fellow observer, I realized the trial was about to begin and took out my notebook. One of the first things I noticed was that the atmosphere was somewhat similar to television courtrooms but that setting seemed more relaxed somehow and quieter. I was surprised how many visitors and observers there were, and was equally taken aback by the relative informality of the interactions between judge and attorney. The judge spoke in a fairly subdued voice, and only one of the lawyers spoke loudly, directing his attention to the jury as if he were an actor. The jury I noticed consisted of a heterogeneous group of men and women, several of whom were minorities. The defendants, including a representative from Bartholemew Roofing and the two contractors who completed the bulk of the work at t...