Abstract
The paper describes the many participants in the criminal courtroom such as judges, juries, prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, and the defendant. The paper focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the judge, prosecuting attorney, and the defense attorney.

Outline;
Judge
Prosecuting Attorney
Defense Attorney
Courtroom

From the Paper
" They do this by (1.) emphasizing the absence of evidence, (2.) discrediting the importance of physical evidence, or (3.) by impugning the testimony or integrity of the prosecution's witnesses. Defense is also allowed to present witnesses, including expert witnesses. Each side is allowed to make closing arguments. The prosecution emphasizes the evidence against the defendant and the defense highlights the weaknesses of the prosecution's case. The judge instructs the jury to carefully weigh the testimony of the witnesses and the evidence. The judge also instructs the jury concerning the degree of proof necessary for a finding of guilt and the associated punishment for such a finding. "

Tags:evidence, testimony, witnesses, prosecution, judge

Abstract
In this essay, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes the book "Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse" by Steve Bogira. The writer notes that "Courtroom 302" is a detailed and disturbing look into the criminal justice system in America. The writer points out that the author spent one year observing the activity in a particular courthouse in Chicago and that the result is an intimate portrayal of the people who populate the courts of America, from criminals to prosecutors and beyond. The writer concludes that the criminal justice system is failing many Americans, and that is what makes this book so troublesome and so memorable.

From the Paper
"It is clear the author researched this book with depth and detail. Not only did he spend a year inside Courtroom 302, he interviewed hundreds of participants in the courtroom drama, including Judge Daniel Locallo, the presiding judge in the courtroom, numerous times. His notes on each chapter indicate he also used published sources as background for his own exhaustive research and interview process. The book is well written and compelling, but it is also well researched and defended. The author clearly understands his subject and his experience in the courtroom. He brings this understanding to the reader, to make the entire experience more interesting and enlightening."
"Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this book is the implications it holds for every courtroom across America. First, Chicago may be the busiest felony courthouse in the nation, but there are hundreds more just like it all across the country, filled with petty criminals to the worst habituals."

Tags:courts, justice, legal, system, trials

Abstract
This paper explains that the press has long argued for the right to bring cameras into the courtroom arguing that (1) freedom of speech and the press is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution and that, (2) in a truly free society, the public has a right to know what goes on inside a courtroom. However, the courts claim that the use of cameras in a court room could influence public sentiment about a trial, which, in turn, might influence the jury. The author reviews court rulings of the Lindbergh kidnapping case, "Rideau vs. the State of Louisiana", "Billie Sol Estes vs. State of Texas", "Nixon vs. Warner Communications", "United States vs. Mitchell", O. J. Simpson cases and the Clinton-Lewinsky fiasco, regarding the use of cameras in these court rooms, the decisions strengthening these rulings and the current opinions of the courts. The paper concludes that the press and the courts are dependent upon each other; if there were no freedom of the press, there would be no one to make sure a defendant received a fair trial. Several long quotes.

From the Paper
"The issue of cameras in the courtroom popped up again in the fiasco between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. The defense sought to use illegally tapped telephone conversations against the President. In this case, the Court ruled the public right to know outweighed the President's right to privacy. President Clinton's testimony was broadcast on TV in front of millions of viewers, but the President came out looking like the winner. The prosecutor Kenneth Starr wanted to expose Clinton on television, but failed, "Instead, the camera captured a controlled and confident Clinton telling his side of the story in detail for the first time. He rebutted much of the legal case against him and launched a counterattack on the four-year, $40-million prosecution as unfair and politically driven.""

Tags:amendment, influence, clinton, inter-dependent, simpson

Abstract
This paper presents the author's impression of court procedures after spending a day in court observing the courtroom process. The author talks about the cases he observed and compares his own impressions with articles he read regarding courtroom procedures. The author concludes by noting that due process is followed with a hit-or-miss attitude, that the lack of press coverage in the cases observed contributed to a lack of formality in the court, and that all courts are not alike.

From the Paper
"As I entered the courtroom, one of the first things I noticed was the light contemporary environment. The room was filled with modern furniture and the ceiling had track lighting across the front, so it would light up the judge area and the witness stand. The furniture looked like it had come from an expensive furniture store and the jury box was equally impressive. While I had imagined it would be filled with dark wood tables and chairs, the reality was that the room was light and airy. It was not like any courtroom I remember seeing on television or in the movies."

Tags:magistrate, police, departmnet, lawyers, attorneys, deals, fate, represented, offense

Abstract
This paper puts forward the debate of whether allowing electronic media into courtrooms, and even into death chambers, violates constitutional rights. It discusses the issues concerning invasion of privacy, as well as examining how, living in a democracy with a free press, failing to allow the media into the courtroom violates the First Amendment and the right of U.S. citizens to free speech. It also discusses whether death penalty executions should be televised.

From the Paper
"Indeed, and it is a simple one. Court proceedings have the issues of evidence and perception by jurors and other matters of procedure to grapple with, even in the face of overwhelming opinion that the First Amendment demands the presence of electronic media. (Electronic media might, indeed, be considered no more than the pens and pencils of print reporters of prior centuries, and still of this one in part.) Television executions have none of these constitutional issues. The condemned person is a condemned felon, and felons lose their civil rights, so an appeal to the right of privacy is null and void from the outset."

Tags:death, penalty, freedom, speech, first, ammendment, privacy

Abstract
A six page argumentative essay on why cameras should not be allowed in the courtroom.

Abstract
This paper addresses an issue that is central to America's constitutional foundations, that is, the ongoing conflict between the First Amendment and the Sixth Amendment. It focuses on the current controversy about video cameras in the courtroom and the impact they might have on the free press/fair trial debate.

From the Paper
"The print press currently has legal reasoning that supports the coverage of courtroom proceedings. One of those reasons is that the public has a right to know what is going on in the cases, and the press is the only way they can find out about it. The Supreme Court has made it clear that cameras in the courtroom can be constitutionally permitted, because the presence of a camera does not make a trial unfair."

Tags:press, court, trial

Abstract
This paper examines criminal lawyers or litigators in their profession, based on actual studies and data collected. Delving deeper, the writer studies the issue of gender in this profession and compares success rates between males and females in this occupation.

From the Paper
"Most people have a pre-conceived notion of lawyers, which is based mostly on the media, television or the movies. However, this general idea of lawyers is incorrect. In fact, the courtroom job that the American public pictures as a lawyer is realistically that of a criminal lawyer. The legal profession has suffered greatly from media portrayals. Television shows and movies have displayed the attorney as unethical, overly aggressive and dishonest. The general public views this profession as deviant by association, when in reality the job of the criminal litigator serves to provide citizens on trial with their sixth amendment right to counsel."

Tags:criminal, litigator

From the Paper
"SHOULD CAMERAS BE ALLOWED IN THE COURTROOM?

Introduction and Problem Statement
Although the title of this research is broad, cameras, in the context of this paper, refers to television cameras. Courts in different jurisdictions in the United States impose differing restrictions on media coverage within courtrooms. Some jurisdictions do not allow cameras of any kind, requiring even the print media to employ artist sketches for any visual reporting of courtroom proceedings. Others permit the use of still cameras under controlled conditions. Few jurisdictions permit the unrestricted use of television cameras in courtrooms. Most jurisdictions that do permit television cameras in the courtroom do not permit continuous live coverage of the proceedings."

Abstract
Discusses whether cameras should be allowed during felony trials. State laws and judicial rulings on the topic. Defendant's interests. Constitutional issues (First and Sixth Amendments). Concerns over publicity in trials, and role of the major media. Cites several cases and opinions. Personal reaction to topic contends that cameras should be allowed.

From the Paper
"Cameras in the Courtroom
Issue:


Should cameras be allowed in the courtroom during all felony trials?
There has been no final decision on this question on the part of the Supreme Court, leaving a patchwork of State laws and judicial rulings on the topic. In California, absent a claim by the defense that the defendant's interests will be prejudiced by the presence of a camera in the courtroom, and that claim upheld by the judge, the presumption is that cameras may be allowed in the courtroom if so requested by a news-gathering organization
(Wilson Conference, 1097).


There are two major constitutional areas that must be dealt with in deciding whether to allow a camera. These are the public's right to..."