The courthouse itself was abuzz on a Monday morning. Just about every
             courtroom was filled, some with trials for petty traffic violations, some
             with murder trials. The courtroom I selected for observation had a small
             group of people milling about outside, most of them men and women in
             business suits. Obviously there to witness the trial, I also believed that
             a few of the people standing outside the room were slated to be witnesses
             in the case. Usinger -v- Bartholemew Roofing was a criminal negligence suit
             filed by a man who claimed that the roofing company he hired had
             deliberately used substandard materials and performed shoddy work. A
             section of the Usinger home had been destroyed because the roof suddenly
             caved in over the dining room. Luckily, no one was injured. This was the
             A few minutes before 9 o'clock, most of the people outside the
             courtroom meandered inside to take their seats. The courtroom seated about
             two hundred people in addition to the courtroom officials. I sat in the
             second-to-last row, next to a man who told me he had just enrolled in law
             school. After introducing myself as a fellow observer, I realized the trial
             was about to begin and took out my notebook. One of the first things I
             noticed was that the atmosphere was somewhat similar to television
             courtrooms but that setting seemed more relaxed somehow and quieter. I was
             surprised how many visitors and observers there were, and was equally taken
             aback by the relative informality of the interactions between judge and
             attorney. The judge spoke in a fairly subdued voice, and only one of the
             lawyers spoke loudly, directing his attention to the jury as if he were an
             actor. The jury I noticed consisted of a heterogeneous group of men and
             women, several of whom were minorities.
             The defendants, including a representative from Bartholemew Roofing
             and the two contractors who completed the bulk of the work at t...