Various Court Room Participants

This paper will discuss all of the various court room participants, the different roles that each participant plays, and how important each participant is in a courtroom. Various daily court room functions today require every participant to do their own part to insure the daily functions run smoothly.

The first and a major participant in todays court room is the judge. Judges play many roles. Judges are like umpires in baseball, the call it like they see it according to the law. It does not matter who is home favorite or is most popular. They interpret the law, assess the evidence presented, and control how hearings and trials unfold in their courtrooms. Most important of all, judges are impartial decision-makers in court room proceedings. We have what is known as an adversarial system of justice - legal cases are contests between opposing sides, which ensures that evidence and legal arguments will be fully and forcefully presented. The judge, however, remains above the fray, providing an independent and impartial assessment of the facts and how the law applies to those facts.

There are five basic steps to becoming a judge in a courtroom. First thing that is needed is an Undergraduate degree.The major does not matter but, courses should include government, public speaking, foreign languages, and history. The next step is to

attend law school, which is not required to become a judge, but is highly recommended. In order to get admission into law school, applicants must achieve a good score on the (LSAT). Then passing a 200 question six hour long Bar exam is the next step. Now being appointed or elected to the court is the way into the door of the court. Once appointed or elected all states require judges so participate and complete a judgeship training program (Become a Judge in 5 Steps)

The next major participants in a courtroom are the lawyers and the prosecutors. The goal of both sides, bottom line is to win the case. One side acting as the offense and the other side acting as the defense. Both sides play a big role in a court room. Presenting evidence, jury selection, and bring in witnesses to support each sides cases. Both sides need to go through undergraduate school, law school, then pass the bar exam to become one of these participants.

The prosecutors job is basically to enforce the laws, they must be able to prove that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that prosecutors need to work with police to get as much evidence, as possible to convict. The prosecutors must be able to cover every hole in a defense, to cover all of the burden of proof. A prosecutor must also present a case before a grand jury for indictment of a case before in can even go to trial. If the evidence is not sufficient enough, the cases will not go to trail. Once a trail is under way, the prosecution sets the tone of the trial, by presenting evidence, witnesses, and expert speakers to prove their case.

On the other side of the table is the defense. The defense attorney does not have as big of a role as the prosecution, but to say this participant is less important would be wrong. The defenses job is to find that one doubt, or that one small piece of evidence that will put a doubt in the prosecution cases. Defenses attorneys usually meet with their clients to gather facts and evidence. Not only is the defense attorneys job to find the hole in the prosecution, but their job is also to find the best possible solution for their clients. For example, asking for a plea bargain, to lower the charge, and possibly lowering the sentencing, could be the best possible solution for their clients.

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