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Court Observation Paper

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Submitted By simonebusby
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On Friday, April, 4, 2014, I observed the Vanderburgh County Superior Court to observe different family law cases. The cases I heard involved contempt of court for failing to pay child support, failure to appear for a court appointed drug test, birth certificate affidavit, request for contest hearing time, and an issue of paternity case. Magistrate Judge Sheila M. Corcoran was presiding over the family court hearings. When entering the courthouse, I was greeted by security and advised to remove any cell phones, and/or, any other items that would trigger a metal detector. After this, I proceeded straight to look for the family courtroom. After roaming around mindlessly for a couple minutes, I decided to ask the courthouse officer monitoring the entrance with the metal detector to point me in the direction of the family courtroom. With no hesitation, she pointed me toward two big wooden doors. After entering the courtroom, I found a seat immediately. The waiting area was crowded. The persons awaiting their scheduled hearing time were dressed in mostly jeans. Each party, along with their attorney, arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to their scheduled hearing times.
I imagined the courtroom would be bigger after visiting the Hamilton County court last year. To my surprise, this court room was much smaller. The judge was, of course, seated at the front of the courtroom, and to her right was the court reporter. I could not see the reporter’s face from where I was seated because it was hidden by his computer screen. When a party’s scheduled hearing time arrived, he or she would approach a podium that was facing Judge Corcoran. On each side of the podium were two tables that is where the lawyers were seated. The US Attorney was seated to the right of the podium facing the judge. Despite the amount of people in the courtroom, the courtroom was set up so that anyone could

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