CJ 207 Project One

CJ 207 Project One First, I will explain how the court system in the United States works within the three branches such as the District, Appeals, and Supreme court systems. The district courts handle criminal cases, civil cases and habeas corpus relief. The court of appeals handles appeals of decisions from the U.S. district courts. The Supreme Court resolves disputes between states, conflicting opinions of lower federal and state courts, and constitutional disputes that could not be resolved in the lower courts. Secondly, in discussing the members of the court system the Judge is the highest member and their roles are issuing search warrants, deciding whether a bond is required, deciding whether enough evidence is brought against a defendant for trial, whether the pretrial motions filed by prosecutor, or the defense attorney should be granted, and sentencing. The Judges also decide whether jurors can be excused because of bias, maintaining order in the court room, and whether to sustain or overrule objections to questions asked or evidence introduced. The ethnical factors a Judge may encounter are conflict of interest, failure to demonstrate judicial duties on time, and failure to convey valuable information in an understandable language for the defendant. Prosecutors, main responsibility is to bring criminal charges against individuals who are accused of crime and represent the government's interest in court. The prosecutor decides who will be charged, what charges to file, who will be offered plea agreements and what type of agreement, present evidence to prove the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, make a recommendation to the judge regarding bail and sentence, and the prosecutor will appear before the appellate court to argue that the conviction should not be overturned. Prosecutors in both state and federal have a large amount of unchecked discretionary power which can lead to wrongful convictions by holding evidence that could be in the favor of the defendant. Defense Counsels represent their clients in every stage of the court process by acting as the defender's advocate, ensuring the rights of the defender is not violated, investigate and prepare information for defense, and argue the lowest possible sentence or the best possible plea bargain for the defendant. The difference between a public and private defender is that the government or state pays the public defender, and the client pays the private defender. Allied Professionals such as the Bailiff, Court administration, Court Reporter, and Court Clerk play an important role in the court system. Bailiffs maintain order in the court room and transport detained defendants to and from court proceedings. Court administrator is responsible for facilitating the smooth flow of cases while maintaining records, scheduling hearings, and managing court personnel. Court Reporters record the court proceedings and produce a transcript of the trial. Court Clerks maintain the records of all cases and prepare jury pool, issue summonses for jury duty, and subpoenas witnesses who will testify at a trial.