Courtroom Work Group

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Courtroom Work Group in the United States

The judicial officers and support personnel who function in the courts on a regular basis. The concept of the courtroom work group is most often found in the literature on the criminal process, but applies to the full range of judicial activities. The principal members of the courtroom work group are the judge, the prosecuting (or plaintiffs) attorney, and counsel for the defense. These three members perform the functions that constitute the essence of the adversary model. In addition, the courtroom work group includes such personnel as the court reporter, court clerk, and Bailiff (Judicial Personnel issue). The work group members are the courthouse “regulars” who operate the processes of the judicial system and make the substantive judgments that determine which cases move through the process and how they emerge at the conclusion. Work groups form because of the ongoing interaction of the regulars. While parties to suits change, the regulars remain a constant. Though the regulars do not all work for the same agencies, each is drawn to cases to perform particular functions. More important, each member of the work group must work with the others; no member can perform in isolation. The work group members come to share similar goals or interests, especially the movement of cases through the judicial system. If the work group members cooperate, they all benefit by heightening case dispositions. In other words, the work group members exist in a relationship of interdependence despite the differences in their individual roles.

See Also

Bailiff (Judicial Personnel issue)/”>Bailiff (Judicial Personnel issue) (Judicial Personnel issue);

Court Clerk (Judicial Personnel issue) Court Reporter (Judicial Personnel issue) Defense Attorney (Judicial Personnel issue) Judge (Judicial Personnel issue) Prosecuting Attorney (Judicial Personnel issue).

Analysis and Relevance

Understanding courtroom work group relationships is essential to understanding how the judicial process operates, particularly with criminal cases. The work group is important in several ways. First, the work group modifies formal authority patterns. Decisions formally assigned to one member become joint decisions. Sentencing, for example, is a judicial function, but judges often accept plea agreements negotiated by the prosecutor and defense attorney. These agreements are likely to contain sentencing considerations. In other cases, judges may defer to the recommendations of prosecutors or probation officers. Second, predictable behaviors are produced by the work group network. Members come to share norms of conduct and performance. This establishes a firm framework within which all interaction takes place. Cooperation and trust are fostered in this way. Third, the work group socializes newcomers to the expectations of the members. In this way, the overall system is maintained. Enforcement of work group norms is informal but effective. Rewards and sanctions are such that most work group members find it imperative to comply.

Notes and References

  1. Definition of Courtroom Work Group from the American Law Dictionary, 1991, California

Related Entries:

  1. Court Reporter
  2. Code Of Professional Responsibility
  3. Court Administrator
  4. Court Clerk
  5. Corpus Juris Secundum
  6. Common Law
  7. Chief Justice
  8. Code
  9. Comity
  10. Community Property
  11. Compensation
  12. Conclusion
  13. Consequential Damages
  14. Continuance
  15. Controversy
  16. Copyright
  17. Corruption
  18. Court of Appeals
  19. Bankruptcy Courts
  20. Contempt Of Court
  21. Contingent Fee
  22. Corporal Punishment
  23. Court Types
  24. Constitutional Convention
  25. Consent Agreement
  26. Corps of Engineers
  27. Council on Environmental Quality
  28. Constitutional Guarantees And Administrative Agency Law
  29. Conservative Movement
  30. Compromise of 1850
  31. Computers
  32. Constitutional Interpretation
  33. Courts
  34. Code of Federal Regulations
  35. Counter Claim
  36. Constitutional Law
  37. Compliance
  38. Constitutional Amendment
  39. Court Curbing
  40. Court Packing
  41. Copyright Subject Matter
  42. Counterterrorism
  43. Commercial Code
  44. Court Reporters
  45. Congressional Budget Office
  46. Consumer Price Index
  47. Constitution
  48. Commercial Activity
  49. Common Law System
  50. Colorado
  51. Congress
  52. Congressional Record
  53. Corporate Law
  54. Consumer Fraud
  55. Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents
  56. Convention on Civil Liability for Damage Resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment
  57. Convention on International Bills of Exchange and International Promissory Notes
  58. Convention (I) for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes
  59. Convention (VI) Relating to the Status of Enemy Merchant Ships at the Outbreak of Hostilities
  60. Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
  61. Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions (Cc&rs)
  62. Command Economy
  63. Common Market
  64. Constructive Discharge
  65. Conservative
  66. Court Rules
  67. Senate Judiciary Committee
  68. California
  69. Computation
  70. Commissions, Oaths, Records, and Reports

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