The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Elizabeth D. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Observe - Local Judicial Trial
On gray, freezing February day, I attended a pre-trial hearing in at the 54th District Court in Lansing. Only a few out of our group made the noisy alarm sound while passing through the metal detector into the courtroom. The hearing, already in session, consisted of a handful of people; the judge, lawyers for the defense and prosecution, the accused and the victim. Family members of the accused were also present as well as court reporters.
As we entered the courtroom, the defense attorney was already hard at work doing his job, questioning the victim's story and his memory of the night he and his girlfriend's house was broken into at 1:00 a.m. The prosecuting attorney was next, asking the victim questions that ranged from where he was when the crime occurred, what the intruder was wearing, to what he did the following day. When the questioning was finished, the defense attorney called in the two police officers that were on the crime scene that night.
The first officer testified that while he was on foot, the accused drove toward him in his vehicle, as he attempted to make him stop. Next the prosecuting attorney questioned the officer, and had him draw a picture of the roads traveled that night. The 2nd police officer testified that he chased the accused on foot from the robbery location to a trailer park not far away, where he was finally arrested. The pre-trial hearing concluded with both attorneys questioning the officers, and all in the courtroom now waited for the judges' decision.
The judge announced the accused would be tried on 4 counts of armed robbery, and gave his decision that he will have a jury trial. He then released him on a large bail amount ($500,000), due to his attempt to flee the scene of the crime. The accused also had a record of domestic violence. If he does not return to court for the jury trial, he will have to pay the $500,000.
Attending a public hearing was a new experience for me, and I found it intriguing to observe how many different ways attorneys could ask the same questions. The order of the courtroom, along with witnessing an actual hearing, was a very eye-opening experience for me.
