Reply #16: As a court reporter ... [View All]

[NanceGreggs]

... I understand the idea here. Law & Order, as well as other TV shows and movies of the last twenty years, have been pretty good in terms of showing what a trial procedure is like - unlike the days of Perry Mason, et al.

I know that back in the olden days when I started reporting, many jurors were shocked to learn that they couldn't question witnesses themselves, or ask the judge or a lawyer for clarification of a point in the middle of the proceedings, or stop a witness mid-sentence and ask the court reporter to read back previous testimony. Jurors also tended to be taken aback by the fact that they were not privy to off-the-record discussions, or might be barred from the courtroom while judge and counsel had discussions out of their hearing.

Watchers of Law & Order (or shows like it) are probably more familiar with the basics of how a trial proceeds, and what is expected of the jurors.