The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Emily M. during the 2007-2008 League.
Local Judicial Trial
Monday, July 14, I visited the 52nd District Court in Oakland County to observe a trial. I had prepared myself for whatever might happen. After my experience with the legislature, I learned that things do not always go the way I would expect. Also, after talking with another member of the Ambassador League about his court experience, my hopes weren't too high, but I wasn't pessimistic either.
I had heard that the Oakland County court in Novi was generally busy, and judging by how full the parking lot was, it looked like it was true. After picking up my purse, notebook and Ambassador League Folder on the other side of the x-ray machine, I walked over to where the day's schedule was tacked up on the wall, scanning the papers for what appeared most interesting. Then I looked down the hall leading to the different courtrooms, all of which had little signs above the doors that lit up, indicating whether or not the court was in session. Most of the courts had already begun, but there was one that had not. Since I didn't want to jump into a case in the middle of the proceedings, I chose to go to the one that had not yet begun. I hoped I might be able to watch the proceedings from beginning to end.
I slipped in, and took the only available seat in the very front. From the number of people already there, I presumed that they would start at any moment. So, at the first possible moment, I approached the clerk and asked her if she would sign the verification form; she said yes, but asked if she could hang on to it and sign it after I had watched all the proceedings. I agreed and returned to my seat to wait. The people in the courtroom maintained a stony silence, while lawyers hurried in and out at a rapid pace, from the outside hall, to the rooms behind the courtroom to talk to the judge and back again. People's names were called, and they would silently get up and follow one of the lawyers or the clerk, and more people would come and fill the spaces that had been vacated. A half hour later, a whole new set of people were seated in the room, and the lawyers continued to bustle in and out, and the clerk continued to call names. Forty-five minutes passed by, and I still had seen nothing, yet I couldn't move to another courtroom because the clerk had my verification form. After an hour had gone by, the clerk came and gave me back my form, apologetic that it was taking such a long time, and suggested we try another courtroom.
So, I went to an adjacent courtroom, to watch the magistrate, Ms. Judith A. Holtz. I walked in the room just as a young woman, who had an outstanding warrant for her arrest, was being taken away in handcuffs by the deputy, much to the surprise of her parents who thought they were there for a single traffic violation. Most of the people after her were there for driving on a suspended or restricted license, though there was one case of trespassing and one case of domestic violence. Ms. Holtz was a tough, no nonsense kind of person, but tried to help everyone there as much as possible, telling them things like whether or not they should plead guilty. There was not a great deal of time spent on each case, the whole docket took no more than thirty minutes. After everything was over, Ms. Holtz signed my verification form, and I left to see if anything was happening in the courtroom I had been in before.
The light above the door was on, the court was in session, so I slipped back into the room, and took a seat in the back. The court was presided over by the Hon. Brian Mackenzie. The cases quickly fell into a pattern: driving on a restricted license, alcohol, possession of drugs, and shoplifting, in an all but uninterrupted cycle. As the judge told me after the proceedings, the vast majority of cases he tries are of this type. Hon. Mackenzie had strong opinions, and a unique way of handling each person who appeared before him. For one person who had stolen liquor from a Meijer store, the judge told him that he ought to be ashamed of himself, "It's not only illegal, it's wrong." There was another young man, accused of vandalizing his school, who happened to be the same age I am. Judge Mackenzie made his best effort to strike a little fear into him, and told him (truthfully), "I am the #1 incarcerating judge in Oakland County, I've put more people in jail than two-thirds of the judges in Oakland County put together.. This isn't juvenile court anymore, they wanted to help you, I want you to go to jail." He then asked the deputy to take the young man and show him where he would be if Judge Mackenzie saw him one more time. The judge was a very interesting person, unlike any of my expectations of how a judge would be.
Overall, my day at the 52nd District Court was a good one, I learned a lot and had some false notions corrected. It was an enlightening experience, and I probably never would have gone to see a local trial if it weren't for the Ambassador League. I'm very glad I've had this opportunity.
