Court Observation Essay

It was a gloomy Tuesday morning in Camden on March 18, 2014. Spring break had just began and the free time to do the court observation. The Superior Court of New Jersey had begun a civil action court case that was fairly controversial over how to distribute ones pension to their spouse when filing a divorce. When arriving upon the court house, the whole entire environment surrounding the court was very authoritarian. It seems that the court rooms and such are always located where most of the town’s governing takes place, whether it is just a municipal court, or the superior court just as this one. Before arriving, the presumption was that the court house would like every other court house, big building with large marble stone pillars in the front. However, it looked more of a standard building you would find in any city. The court was 6 stories high, red brick exterior. The building was not an artistic structure of any sort. There was a nice statue out front surrounded by a bed of flowers, and a few trees, but nothing out of the ordinary.

When entering the building it had more of a feel of the standard court room you see in the movies. The floor was made of marble and the sensation of authority, law and conformity set in. I walked into the court room, went down to the 3rd row bench and found myself a seat. The court room was decorated beautifully with the finest wood. The floor within the court room was wood as well, except for the area where the lawyers, plaintiffs and defendant sat. There were two wood tables on each side, with a microphone attached to the table. The bailiff was standing on the left side of the judge’s bench. There was also a stenographer on the computer in a small wooden desk, also located on the left side of...

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...al, and other disputes that happen with the framework constructed in society. In the process of resolving the problem the court developed a formula or a statement of principles in order to deal with the two opposing parties. The court represented authority and legal legitimacy through the symbols and icons displayed both inside and outside the court house. These two individuals see the legitimacy of the court and, because they are actively participating in the usage of it to settle their dispute. If the courts were illegitimate, the people would not turn to the courts to settle their differences, rather taking matters into their own hands. The court case that we observed continually demonstrated the broader structure of American law, actively took claim of legitimacy through symbols and icons, and displayed the themes presented throughout the course of the semester.