American Court

For this project, you will be asked to think creatively about the life of those who are working in the court system every day. 

First, choose a role that you are interested in – Judge, Clerk of Court, Prosecutor, Defense Attorney, Baliff, or another support person who works within either the criminal or civil court system. 

Next, research what that person’s professional life looks like.  The easiest way to research this is to interview a person who is performing this role every day.  Maybe that means calling the

Office of the State AttorneyLinks to an external site.

 and asking for an interview, or heading to the courthouse to speak to the Bailiff (this might be harder in these times, but you’d be surprised about how willing people are to talk about themselves!), or watching a documentary that shows how a person works through their day.

After researching the person, think creatively about how a “day in the life” of your person might look.  Walk me through that day – what time do they wake up?  What time do they have to be to work?  How long is their commute?  How long are they in the courtroom during an average day?  Do they go out to lunch every day or do they have to eat a granola bar at their desk?  Who do they spend the most time talking to – their colleagues, criminal defendants, police officers, or is it a solitary role?  Are they clocking out at 5 PM or working till 9?  Are their hours variable or the same every day?  Do they go out with friends after work or people they have been working with all day?  These are just ideas, remember – be creative.

The second part of this assignment is to identify the most pressing court system issue facing your subject today.  If you choose a prosecutor, the biggest issue might be the current uncertainty about the death penalty statute.  If you choose a defense attorney, maybe the issue is the bias in sentencing.  If you choose a clerk, maybe the issue is lack of funding.  Again, these are examples.  Either interview your chosen person on this topic or, after doing your research, try to identify what you think the issue might be for that person.  

Identify one piece of research that will help for you to help the issue concerning your person.  Make sure to cite your research using APA formatting.