It’s at times unsettling, incredible, reassuring, emotional and so many other words to describe a scene in a court room.
On Thursday, while waiting for the pre-trial hearing of Eli Werdesheim, there was an opportunity to just sit and look around and maybe observe nuances.
The judge and the staff of bailiffs and other court personnel in conjunction with the state’s attorneys, court appointed lawyers and private attorneys along with their clients are like a scene in a drama.
Many clients come to the table having spent just a little time with their attorneys. Others are well versed in what their lawyers want and expect of them.
I feel the most sorry for those who walk up to the bench without representation, and for those who must be taken away if found guilty.
It’s a lesson for us all on a system that works so well, isn’t without flaws, but offers opportunity for due process that one is innocent until proven guilty.
The group of people in the room probably wouldn’t be breathing the same oxygen except for this small amount of time as observers of justice.
Credit should be given to the people who sit on the other side of the bench, who don’t take any of this it seems for granted. They know that this might be your one only time in court. But as employees of the state judicial system, they are there every day to a professional job. On Thursday, everyone of those employees couldn’t have been more polite and civil to the public.
I wonder if it is possible to take our high school students, in particular, to these court rooms so that they can see that what they are learning in history and civics classes happens on a daily basis.
Mostly, I’d like them to see people working with a code of honor and rules of ethics.
Every day isn’t another day in court for the employees there.
Each day is different.
Yet the due process offered remains the same. Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason.
It’s wonderful to see.