My First Time Entering A Courtroom - 1624 Words

On Tuesday, November 10, 2015, I had the opportunity to visit the district court of Maryland in Rockville, around 10:30 am until 12:30 pm to observe a judicial criminal proceedings. I was so much excited because it was my first time entering a courtroom. A court is an institution that set up to settle disputes through a legal process. In the criminal court that I attended cases such as traffic violation, DUI and criminal offenses that carried a jail sentence, probation and the state brought fines against the people that had committed a crime. The defendants are given a chance to represent themselves or choose to have a legal representation including public defenders, which is mostly preferred by many of the accused. The courtroom included†¦show more content†¦In front of the judge far left which was two inches away was a seat for the defendant and his defense attorney to present their case. On the far right of the of the defense attorney was the stand for the prosecutor and the plaintiff. A bailiff who maintains peace at the courtroom was standing at one corner closer to the bench. Even though, he had the chance to move around. There was a divider between the open seats and those involved in the legal proceedings. Moreover, at the entrance of the courtroom was a police officer who acted as a guard. During the trial, I met Judge Rowan, he was about sixty years of age and thoughtful person. As soon as Judge Rowan enters the courtroom, the clerk asked the court to rise, and everybody stood up. After the judge had sat down, the clerk calls the case saying state versus the defendant name Smith, the defendant and his attorney who was a private attorney walked up to the front box where they came and stood to make their presentation. The defendant was asked by the clerk to sworn in giving the assurance whatever he says at the courtroom is the truth. However, the prosecutor made an opening statement briefly reviewing the violation and saying how they intend t o prove each element of the case. The prosecutor explained that on June 2015, Mr. Smith a twenty 28 years old was operating a vehicle seventy mile per hour on the Georgia Ave while he was intoxicated. Due to his