Chicago DUI lawyer comments on court watchers

This Chicago DUI lawyer got a compliment… she thinks. As I checked in with the clerk in the court house I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. It was a dapperly dressed gentleman that I recognized instantly. He said, "I’ve been watching you and you are a very good attorney.” I thanked him.

I see him in the court rooms now more than ever before this year, or so it seems. He’s not the only one I see. There’s the sweet faced little lady with strawberry blonde curls; she usually, nods or waves at me. So why do I recognize these two? They are volunteers. They sit in court most days and watch. They don’t have cases nor do they have family charged with offenses. They wear these official looking little name tags that identify them as court watchers for AAIM. Some lawyers I know despise them. They feel that there very officious presence does nothing more than bully judges and prosecutors, I’m certain there’s no prosecutor or judge who would ever admit to feeling some sort of pressure from the court watchers.

I often wonder what these folks think while they sit in court. Perhaps I should ask them if they think everyone there is guilty. I wonder if they think the system wouldn’t be better served if we just eliminated prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges and just rely on the word of the police. There’s one problem with that vision, they wouldn’t get to be court watchers.