This class examines through participant observation the functioning of the judicial process in our lower-level trial courts. The seminar's focus is on the interaction between the local court and the community it serves, with a view toward evaluating the role of decentralized, neighborhood-oriented courts in contemporary society. The contributions of various scholars to understanding these courts is reviewed, as well as distinct proposals for increasing judicial accountability, citizen participation, and court reform.
Students receive two graded credits for the classroom component.
Students undertake this study of lower court judicial performance through clerkship-like, fieldwork placements with individual justices of the District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Juvenile Court, and Housing Court Departments of the Massachusetts Trial Court. These justices are expected to assign research and writing projects to their students. A 15 to 20 page paper describing some aspect of the judiciary's work in these courts is required. This course will satisfy the Law School's upper-level Professional Responsibility requirement. This is a unique opportunity to compare and contrast trial Judges in both civil and criminal proceedings.