Author: cicin726

Day 2

Today I started off the morning helping Hailey find the shucks for the clients Ms. Berrie had due in court 1c. Then we called their names to see who was present and spoke to them about how court was to go. Ms. Berrie showed me how to look up new court dates through using the officers name who filed the complaint that is located on the shuck. Then Ms. Berrie sent me to call her clients who did not show up using the information on the files. Then she was getting called down to superior court 3c so she sent Hailey and I down while she finished in 1c.

When we got their we saw her client who was feeling unwell. We waited with them in the hallway until Ms. Berrie, Hailey, and I went to interview them about any new information she needed to know before being in front of the judge. Then we went into the front of the court room to sit with the other attorneys while we waited for the case to be called up. Unfortunately when the case was called up the judge suspected the client to be under the influence, and they were taken into custody on the spot for a drug test. Ms. Berrie and I rushed back to court 1c where she represented another client. For lunch i went to eat with the other interns from Elon Law School and they told me about their experiences in college and how the got into law.

In the afternoon I watched a very interesting motion of suppression that some would compare to Mapp v. Ohio. The police were looking for fugitive in the backyard of the defendant but instead of finding the fugitive, they found a bunch of marijuana plants for which they did not have a warrant for. The district attorney showed the body camera footage from the officer as they were interviewed. I found it very interesting as she paused the camera at each important moment to show exactly what was happening and how it related to the case. However this motion of suppression failed.

 

What didn’t I do today?

I started off the day helping Guilford County Public Defender ShaKeta Berrie and Elon University Law student Hailey Porterfield in District Court room 1c. I helped Ms. Berrie label some of her shuck files (“personal” files on defendants appearing in court) while she was defending her clients. I watched Ms. Berrie help many people who appeared in court until recess. We then walked to the driving court where I meet the judge before going upstairs into the superior court that Ms. Berries describes as “just like the courts from forensic files”. It was very interesting as the superior court was much more serious than the district course because it dealt with felonies and more serious crimes. When we returned back down to district court 1c, we saw a witness being denied the right to plead the 5^th so we rushed to Ms. Berrie’s office and she helped a fellow public defender with the case by using one of her many law books. However, when we returned, the case was over. After that, we went down to the judge’s chambers to have them sign some paperwork. This was all before lunch!

I ate lunch with all the public defenders as we discussed our dogs and their days in court. After lunch I watched first appearances (Where the judge informs people who were in jail and did not post bond about the basis of their arrest, decides if they get out of jail of what their bond would be, and advise them on their rights) which was very cool because the defendants were video called in from the jail which was across the street. I saw Judge Smith work through a very difficult and complicated case as in his words “something is just not adding up”.

Because it was a Monday and most people get arrested over the weekend, there were over 33 first appearances. We were so busy today I forgot to take pictures, but later on this week I may get the chance to visit the jail, watch a very high profile case presented in superior court, and help Ms. Berrie with other tasks. I cannot wait for tomorrow!