Are YOU Ready For A Day At The Courts?

Your phone must be switched off fully when in the court buildings. The Court Security Act 2005 states that a person is prohibited from transmitting or receiving any recorded sound, images or content in a courtroom or in the vicinity of the courtroom. If you get caught you could be fined or imprisoned!!

Security at the courts is important and not something to joke about. You will not be allowed to bring any sharps or aerosols through security. You may however write notes or any questions on a piece of paper and then discuss them with your teacher after you have left the court building.

You may not eat in the courtrooms. You may sip water quietly in the courtroom. There are usually couches and spaces outside the courtroom where you can eat your morning tea or lunch.

To show respect for the Courts and judicial system, you need to bow to the Coat of Arms above the judge/magistrate as you enter the courtroom. If you are not respectful, the judicial or court officers may ask you to leave. If you are sitting in the courtroom when the judicial officer enters, stand quietly and wait for the judicial officer to reach their chair and then bow to the them. You can sit down after the judicial officer is seated.

Being respectful in court entails being quiet. The parties in the room are often dealing with serious matters. To limit disruptions, you should not leave a courtroom less than 15 min from the time you entered.

Courtrooms can be a highly stressful environment for everyone involved in the matter. You may encounter victims, offenders and their family. You will see real cases that involve real people and it can be very traumatic for those involved. Please do not discuss, point, laugh or make comments about those involved in the matter whilst in the court building. Remember they may be very stressed and you do not know how they will react to your comments.

The rule of law means that every member of society, both citizens and those in power, is subject to the law. It is spelled out in our Constitution and ensures those in power act in accordance with the law. The rule of law is an essential part of our legal system and is why we have the most robust and respected legal system throughout the world.

To ensure that everyone is treated equally under the law, the independence of judiciary is needed where the Courts are independent, impartial, open and transparent to provide a fair and efficient trial. All people are presumed to be innocent and are entitles to remain silent and not incriminate themselves. Finally, government agencies must act within the law and be model litigants and not overuse their size or power in litigations. Without these working to support the rule of law, people have no trust in the law resulting in lawlessness and anarchy.