Let's go see a trial!

Well, as I mentioned in my previous post with my public record search, my father is a court security officer at the federal court house. So needless to say it was not very hard for me to find a trial and to sit in on it unlike like most of my classmates who had problems.

My Father was able to get me into a trial being judged by James Moody, who has been known for hosting some very high profile cases such as Al-Arian case. This case I was viewing today was sort of a everyday occurrence. A drug trial. The United States vs Demetrium Silas Shaw. This man was charged with three things, two counts of drug possession with intent to distribute, and the third count of knowingly possessing and affecting interstate and foreign commerce ammunition .

I was very surprised at the look and feel of the courtroom. Sort of a classroom feel if I would say. There were overheads, and pull down screens, and podiums and desks with papers and files everywhere. The defendant sat on one side and the state attorney's sat on the other.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get to the trial till the end of the day, so I was only able to witness about 15 minutes, but I can say that I was very intimidated by those 15 minutes. The courtroom can be a very scary place, and for some people, that can be the last place they visit for the rest of their lives.