Court Observation Paper
For the live court observation assignment, I visited The City of Sugar Land
Municipal Court located on 1200 TX-6 Sugar Land, TX 77478, on November 20,
2015. The courthouse handle’s Class C misdemeanor cases, majority of which
are “Traffic Violations.” As for the televised portion of my assignment, I decided to
watch “The Judge Mathis Show” on YouTube. The show is a reality-based court
show, in which everyday people go on to settle their cases on nationally
broadcasted television. Judge Mathis is known to be a very outspoken, but yet,
stern Judge. The episode I viewed was broadcasted on November 11, 2015.
The City of Sugar Land Municipal Court operates from Monday – Friday
from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Arraignments are held from Tuesday – Friday. The first
hearing begins at 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, but the defendants must check in by 8:30
am, as this is when they commence to allow the defendants into the courtroom.
Prior to entering the courtroom, the bailiff, who goes by the name of Officer
Smith, informed all of the defendants of the courthouse rules: 1) The defendants
will be called upon in the order in which they checked in. 2) There will be silence
in the courtroom, meaning no interaction with other defendants. 3) No food,
drinks or gum allowed. 4) Appropriate attire is required. Defendants are not
allowed to wear; shorts, tank tops, halter-tops, caps / hats, or anything that may
be deemed as inappropriate. 5) Cell phones and all other electronics must be
turned off. 6) No weapons of any kind (Knives, Guns, or anything that can be
used as a weapon) allowed in the courtroom, along with purses and / or
backpacks. 7) No loose items besides; checkbooks, wallets, and any other
supporting documents, which may be requested or provided for the defendant’s
case such as; driver’s license, insurance card, vehicle registration, etc.
After the rules were informed and explained, the defendants were then
told to proceed into the courtroom. Once seated, the defendants were to refer
back to rule number two and sit in silence, while the judge arrived. They provided
additional time to let everyone check in and get settled in. A few minutes passed
by and here comes a man in a black robe, entering through a door on the side,
behind the bench. The bailiff, requesting for everyone to stand, to acknowledge
and show respect to this man, shouts, “All rise”. As he reaches his chair the man
in the black robe says, “please be seated” allowing the defendants to take their
seats. He introduces himself as Judge D Craig Landin and began explaining the
process in which the arraignment would proceed. The first thing in his agenda
was informing the defendants that the Municipal Court of The City of Sugar Land,
only deals with Class C misdemeanors that are most often in the form of Traffic
Violations and the severity of Class C misdemeanors result only in fines. The
defendants were then informed of their rights such as having the right to an
attorney, the right to freedom of speech, etc. The process in which their cases
would be called upon was on a “first come, first serve” basis.
Next, Judge Landin explained the different pleads; guilty, not guilty or no
contest. For example, if the defendant pleads guilty, they would then be
sentenced to pay a fine, for the violation committed. If the defendant were to
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plead not guilty, then the case would be rescheduled for a later date to be taken
to trial. Both the defendant and plaintiff, who would most likely be the officer who
stopped and issued the citation, would have be present during the trial. The trial
can be chosen by the defendant to be administered with or without a jury. If the
plaintiff, is scheduled to be off on the day of trial and if the defendant were to be
found guilty, then the defendant would have to pay court fees, their fine and will
be responsible of paying the plaintiff, for their overtime hours. The Judge
informed the defendants that the Sugar Land Police Department has a strict
policy when it comes to their officers being called into court for a hearing. It
seemed Judge Landin tried to inflict some sort of fear into everyone, stating that
if they intended to plead not guilty to have their to case reschedule, in hopes that
the officer would not present themselves to the trial, so that the case would be
dismissed free and clear, it would not work.
The last plea is “no contest.” To plead no contest means that the
defendant is choosing to defer their case and subject themselves to the
alternatives that the judge will suggest. The alternatives are usually; smaller
fines, probation, driver’s education and / or community service. When pleading
no contest, the defendants are neither pleading guilty nor not guilty, but have
chosen the alternative and will be waiving their right to a trial. This option is only
provided when the defendant has talked to the Prosecution Attorney who is
present in the courtroom at the time of the arraignments. The Prosecution
Attorney, who in this instance was a lady by the name of Ms. Crowe, is there to
