- Identify two different court officials to interview. Each of the court officials must practice in criminal law. The persons can be a judge, a prosecutor, a public defender, a private defense attorney, or a Federal probation officer.
- Ask the court official for an interview and explain that the interview is part of a course assignment and will not be used for any other purpose. Inform the court officials that you must audio record the conversation.
- The interview will be about their role in a particular court proceeding. This can be a suppression hearing, a probable cause hearing, or a sentencing hearing.
- Develop a list of 4-5 questions to ask the court officials. Email the questions to me 1 week in advance of the interview.
- Conduct the interviews.
- Do a write-up summary of the interviews.
- Submit the recordings of the interviews and the write-up.
OR THIS IS ANOTHER CHOICE!!!!!!!
Option 1 Instructions
- Observe a state of federal court proceeding. Not a trial. A hearing. You need 2 hours of observation. This may mean that you have to observe multiple hearings.
- Answer the following questions in a write-up of the experience. Three to five page paper. Times New Roman, 12 point font.
2.1: Describe the court. What court is it? What judge?
2.2: Describe the proceeding that you observe. What was the purpose of the proceeding? Be thorough.
2.3: Explain the procedural issue that was the subject of the hearing. Why is it important to fairness in this case? Be thorough
Sample Solution