court observation

You are required to conduct three 30-minute online court observations. Here is a list (Links to an external site.) of links to daily streaming court appearances. You should locate and watch live pretrial and trial courts, including first appearances, bail hearings, jury trials, or sentencing proceedings. Keep in mind that courts typically won’t be streaming on the weekends or evenings.

Take detailed fieldnotes about what you observe and prepare a comprehensive, reflective essay of at least 4 pages (12-point font, double spaced) that addresses the following:

•  An analysis of the courts:
  1. Provide a list of the courts you visited, including the date and time of your observation.
  2. Describe the physical space, people and situations you watched using specific, vivid examples.
  3. Analyze two instances of Constitutional Rights being addressed in court procedures. How did the judge or lawyers invoke the Bill of Rights? Be sure to link this back to the material we discuss in class.

•  An analysis of your experience:
  1. What were your expectations BEFORE doing a court observation? What specific expectations were disputed or confirmed by your firsthand observation?
  2. In your opinion, does online court work well to protect people’s rights? Discuss one benefit and one drawback of online court as it relates to due process.