Order in the Court

Ritual, costume, odd layout, specialized jargon — the courtroom would mystify highly educated people, very few of whom are herded through our overloaded urban courts as defendants. This mystification seems outrageous on its face, but there are purposes involved other than intimidating criminal defendants.

After I was appointed but before I was sworn in, I went to visit with a municipal court judge who held my admiration for being open to persuasion that, in a particular case, a police officer might have been mistaken. The municipal court is the domain of petty misdemeanors, and most trials…