Order 2296834: Court

Grading

Other than whether you have followed the instructions and guidelines on this assignment, your grade will be based on how complete and thorough your answers are, how much depth you go into, and the sophistication of your analyses, especially in the long answer questions. If you skim over details or do not have enough information to answer all the questions completely, there will be an effect on your grade. You must answer each question that appears below.

Instructions

This assignment is not an essay. You must number each response individually omitting the questions. Your submission must be in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1” margins.

Your short answer responses should be 1-2 paragraphs for each question. Your long answer responses should be about 1 page for each question.

Be selective: although you must answer each of the questions below, you will likely have to make choices about what information that you viewed is important and what is not. Be sure to allow yourself enough space to include general comments about how what you witnessed relates to how the legal system works and any preconceptions you may have had.

Be sure that you do not copy-and-paste the questions or any portion of this assignment into your submission as specified above. Copying and pasting the questions will result in a high Vericite unoriginality score, and your submission will be subject to a deduction in points or rejected.

Assignment Questions Short Answer Questions (1-2 paragraphs each):

1. List the name and location of the court and the date and time of the proceedings you witnessed. Identify the name of the judge.

2. Describe the overall demeanor and conduct of all parties, including, but not necessarily limited to: the judge, the defense attorney(s), the prosecutor(s), court staff (bailiff, police officer(s), clerk(s), transcriptionist(s)), audience members, jurors, if applicable, etc.)

3. Discuss your observations regarding the professionalism and /or competency of each of the proceedings and the personnel involved.

4. Note the race, gender, age, apparent socio-economic backgrounds of (1) all court personnel and attorneys (2) all litigants/parties and (3) audience members (guesstimates are fine). Indicate whether you believe this information is important and why/why not.

5. As best you can, identify the specific charge(s) and outcomes/results involved in the case(s) you observed (do not spend too much time on this question, select only 3-4 of the outstanding cases and then move on to the next question).

Long Answer Questions (~1 page each):

6. Discuss the overall efficiency, or lack thereof, of the court proceedings and the overall experience. How does this compare to any previous conceptions you may have had?

7. Describe the overall mood and ambience of the court. How did you experience compare to media representations?

8. Develop your subjective, personal impressions of what you have witnessed and reflect upon the experience.

9. Discuss your experience with one or two peers from class. How did your experiences compare?

10. Share how what you have witnessed illustrates lessons you have learned about how the legal system operates. Develop your response to this question in some depth.