Court Precedings? - Writers Forum

Serenade · 11-03-2005, 12:44 AM

I'm writing a little piece where my main character is in court and the judge is reading off all he's done. Unfortunately, I know nothing about court precedings and diction. I wanted the judge to say that he's being convicted of treason, espionage, multiple fraud, mass murder, and extortion. If anyone can tell me how to make that a little more professional and court caliber, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

mammamaia · 11-03-2005, 09:12 AM

first of all, it's 'proceedings'... next, it's often the clerk of the court who reads the charges, not the judge... in some places, it's the bailiff... who does, will depend on what type of court it is and where it's located...

no one is 'being convicted' in court of anything... they're first 'being tried' on whatever charges have been laid against them... and then, if found guilty, have been 'convicted'...

you've got a litany of charges there that stretches credulity... if one person could really be tried for all of those crimes, they would be listed/read in order, beginning with the most serious, on down to the least...

i suggest you do some serious reading of court procedural novels by the best writers in the genre, to get a feeling for the language and atmosphere of a major trial... be sure to concentrate on authors who are themselves attorneys, so the details will be as authentic as possible...

you can also find glossaries of legal terms by googling...

hope this is some help... love and hugs, maia

Serenade · 11-03-2005, 03:35 PM

Cool, thanks for the tips.

JustJim · 11-03-2005, 05:49 PM

Go visit my friend Google and ask the question.

i.e. "Criminal court" +procedure

or you can be more specific and try things like, "Criminal court" +Florida +procedure (you can also turn this around. "florida" +criminal court +procedure

Then follow Mammamaia's suggestion and read a couple of novels on the subject.