Tales of a coffee-holic: Real courtroom drama

Real criminal court cases are not that much like Law and Order.

Anyone who’s ever watched the show and then actually attended a criminal trial knows exactly what I’m talking about.

Right now I’m in the midst of covering my second criminal trial, so by no means am I an expert. I have learned that real trials have some similarities to the show, but for the most part they are much different.

In many episodes of Law and Order it seems that a criminal trial takes place very soon after the police investigation. In some episodes, the investigation is still in the works during the trial, leading to new evidence dramatically introduced at the last minute.

The truth is that usually the trial occurs many months after the police finish their initial investigation, and sometimes even years later. Both sides need time to formulate their cases, gather witnesses and—let’s face it—in this part of Nebraska to make sure that expert witnesses can make the trek to the panhandle.

Many times in Law and Order, criminals make a dramatic confession on the witness stand. Although only in one of the two trials I’ve covered so far did the defendant take the witness stand, it seems very unlikely that a prosecutor no matter how skilled would be able to elicit a confession in that fashion.

As a person who’s interested in almost everything (a journalist pretty much has to be), I’m fascinated by expert witness testimony especially when they speak about issues of which I’m not educated. Despite this, there are long stretches during trials that are mind-numbingly boring. These can last a few minutes to much, much longer. Sometimes the lawyers will take a short break to consult with each other while questioning a witness, other times all council and the judge retreat to chambers where they might consult for 15 minutes while the rest of the courtroom is left to its own thoughts.

I enjoy watching the interaction between the judge, the lawyers and the witnesses, and determining what the lawyers are trying to get at with their inquiry. I think those who’ve never attended a trial might be quite surprised to hear some of the questions that lawyers ask the witnesses. A few of them might call for ridiculously obvious answers. Here and there one might seem completely irrelevant. Pointed questions, in a Law and Order fashion, might force people to say things they’d really rather not admit to. Some witnesses take the stand for hours at a time while others might answer two questions and be finished. Many people, sometimes unexpectedly, become emotional on the stand.

There are hours of testimony that, although I understand the purpose, is very repetitive and boring. On the other hand, interaction between the lawyers and the witnesses occasionally does become quite heated.

I really do enjoy covering trials, because learning is fun for me. My biggest gripe is that I’m not allowed to bring coffee into the courtroom. This had led me to the conclusion that I might be slowly dying from caffeine deprivation.

Attending criminal trials is a mixed bag, but I think my experience so far has been a positive one. Although my cell phone and coffee deprivation (neither of which are allowed in the courtroom) seem like awful sacrifices, I probably needed a break from both.