4/18/08

4/18/08
I couldn’t help walking into the men’s room on thefirst floor of the main courthouse and thinking thatthere were no young women in there. It only happened once but I guess it is something that will stick withfor awhile.

Almost every time I enter a courthouse, especially a busy one I think of what an interesting group of people you see there. This impression begins at the front door watching people trying to get through security. There are several categories of people who come through a courthouse’s security scanner each day.

The first group, of which I consider myself a member, is the frequent visitor. This group includes attorneys, law enforcement and even the court staff. These individuals are seen walking to the security screener emptying their pockets, making small talk with the security personnel, just one small part of their day. Individuals in this group generally enter the building without a delay. Although every once in awhile someone will forget something in a pocket. It’s a rarity. Also in this group are those individuals who use, or visit, the courts with some frequency. Landlords often fall into this category. I have a friend who owns several commercial buildings and has months where he is at the courthouse at least once a week, then he’ll go months at a time without going near the place. Regardless he is sufficiently familiar with the building and its procedures that it doesn’t faze him.

The other group of individuals are those who seem to constantly being accused of a crime of one type or another. It seems any time I walk by the criminalcourtrooms I see the same individuals standing outside the courtroom. This is probably not the case but theyall look very similar. The second group of courthouse visitors are those who haven’t been in the courthouse since a grammar schoolfield trip years ago. Now they’re at the courthousebecause they received a summons to jury duty or arequest to appear as a witness in a trial, civil orcriminal. Some actually are a party to a lawsuit,some are attorneys who don’t normally go to the courthouse as part of their normal workload.

This group are slightly put off by the securityguards and scanners. They’ve seen these things on thenews but most of them don’t see them in person unless they’re traveling by plane somewhere. As a result these individuals are constantly holding up the security line because they didn’t think their keyswould set off the metal detector, or the sign saying all cell phones must go through the x-ray machinereally applied to them. You don’t want to be behind these people if you’re in a hurry because they almost always give you dirty looks if you cut in and go through the metal detector while they’re coming back to the counter to find what set off the metal detector this time.

The final group are those who just don’t get it. The group is made up of people who have never been to the courthouse before as well as some who are there on a regular basis. People in this group include those who sit down in front of you at a show wearing a wide, tall hat and then are offended when you ask them to take it off because it is blocking you’re view. It also includes those who would never think of offering to let you go in front of them in the line at the grocery store even when you have one item and they have two cartloads and there is only one checkstand open. I sat in court one day, waiting for my case to be called, when an attorney who is a member of this lastg roup practically ran into the courtroom. The judge looked over the courtroom and had just announced that she would call this man’s case if he was there but as he wasn’t she would go to another matter. Just as she, the judge, finished saying that the man stormed into the courtroom and said, “I’m here now you’re honor. I would have been here on time but I literally had to disrobe to get through security!” The judgej ust smiled and said, “since everyone is here we’ll go ahead and get started.” At first I thought the man was just having a bad day and maybe there had been line at security. I changed my mind as soon as the man began to speak, it was obvious that he didn’t often come to court and argue in front of this, or any, judge. I don’t think he was intentionally rude but he wasn’t aware of some of thetypical courtroom courtesies, this was especially evident when he kept interrupting the judge. You can get away with that once, but the third time this man interrupted the judge she let him have it, something I have seen her do a few times, but not often.

So each day as I arrive at the courthouse I look to see who is in the line ahead of me. I’ve figured out that there are things in this life I have no control over so I try to be aware and prepared for those that I can control. Being ready for the security guard is one thing I can control.