While visiting the Burnett County Courthouse, I learned a lot of new things about how our court system really works. One of the first things that I learned was that a courthouse is operated by many more people than I expected. I was under the impression that only the judge and a bailiff were present during a case, but there are at least two other people in the courtroom at all times, each with a different job.
Before the first case started, I assumed that there would be a lot of technical language between attorneys that I would not understand. To my surprise, I understood a large majority of what the attorneys were saying. There were a lot of laws and codes that seemed to be confusing right away, but they were clarified by an attorney or the judge. I also heard a lot of new words during the case where I either implied their meaning or looked them up at home.
During one case, I noticed that when the judge calls people to the chambers, everyone involved in the case goes with. The judge, the attorneys, both parties involved, and other courtroom workers such as the clerk all attend. I always assumed that when the judge went to chambers it was a one on one conversation or a private discussion between the judge and the attorneys.
The majority of the cases that I saw went much faster than I had expected. I came into the courtroom with the assumption that most cases went for a long period of time. Most of the cases that I saw were between a city or state versus a defendant and they took an average of 10-15 minutes. During this time, the parties would sit at their tables, tell the judge their pre determined sentences, and the judge would usually approve and make his ruling.
While in the courtroom I also determined that the majority of cases that go through the courts do not involve trial by jury. I had always thought that almost all of the cases in court were decided by a jury, but during my visit to the courthouse I realized that the judge makes most of the decisions. I also came to realize that the cases I was observing were mostly small claims, and usually a jury is assembled for larger scale cases such as abuse or murder cases.
My observation in the courthouse taught me a lot of new things about the judicial system. I also had some misconceptions of how our system works, but now I have a more realistic view of what really happens. Overall, I had a lot of fun observing court cases and I have a much clearer view of how our judicial system operates.