The Court Participants
Tyler Burns
CJA/224
August 8, 2011
Chris Bragg

When courtroom participants are thought of it’s generally the Judge, jurors, defense attorney, and the prosecutor. What about the other important participants? Such as, courtroom administration, the courtroom deputy, court clerk, court reporters and witness. Every one of these participants plays a key role in the criminal justice system. The Judge runs in an election and will be voted to be appointed. Once in the courtroom the judge presides over the trial from a desk, called a bench, on an elevated platform. The judge has five basic tasks. The first is simply to preside over the proceedings and see that order is maintained. The second is to determine whether any of the evidence that the parties want to use is illegal or improper. Third, before the jury begins its deliberations about the facts in the case, the judge gives the jury instructions about the law that applies to the case and the standards it must use in deciding the case. Fourth, in bench trials, the judge must also determine the facts and decide the case. The fifth is to sentence convicted criminal defendants.
Potential jurors are selected from a list of names that are often obtained from lists of people with drivers’ licenses in the state and people who are registered to vote in the state. Jurors fulfill a very important function in the legal system. In a criminal trial, they are charged with the responsibility of deciding whether, on the facts of the case, a person is guilty or not guilty of the offence for which he/she has been charged. The jury must reach its verdict by considering only the evidence introduced in court and the directions of the judge. The jury does not interpret the law. It follows the directions of the judge as regards legal matters. The jury has no role in sentencing. The decision is left up to the judge