The hearing was supposed to go on for a lot longer. It just stopped all of a sudden. Nobody saw that coming. The hearing ended in a surprising way. People were not prepared for the hearing to be over quickly. The hearing it just came to an end, like that.
The courtroom was really tense before the judge came in. It was not noisy it was not crazy. It was just really quiet. You could feel that people were worried that something bad might happen. The old wooden benches made a noise as people moved around. People looked at their papers. Then they stopped moving. The air in the courtroom felt heavy like the courtroom was waiting for the judge to say something. The people, in the courtroom were. The air was waiting too. The courtroom was waiting for the judge to come in and start talking.
The defendant stood at the table with a confidence that did not quite fit the room. The defendant seemed sure of the defendants self but the room did not feel the same way about the defendant. The defendants confidence was really something to see. It was not right, for the room.
He had been to this place. The food court at the mall was really familiar to him. His body was totally calm. His hands were not. His shoulders were down. The look on his face said that he thought this was a normal thing that would be over soon. The man seemed to think that this was another routine day at the mall. He had been to the food court at the mall more, than once.
The lawyer who was sitting beside him knew better.
He stood still his hands and his eyes forward. He had seen this look on judges before. The look that comes right before they lose their patience. The court judge had this look. He said nothing. He did not whisper. He did not interrupt the court judge. Sometimes the smartest thing to do in the court is to do nothing all when the court judge is, like this.
The judge was sitting up at the bench. He was listening.
No interruptions. No raised voice. Just listening.
The judges face did not change much at first. This is what made the judges face more unsettling to look at. The judge had spent years on the bench and this had taught the judge not to react quickly to things that people said. The judge had heard a lot of excuses from people and arguments and half truths. Disrespect that people tried to make sound confident. The judge did not need to say something in response, to every word that people said to the judge.
But something was different this time.
The defendant spoke again. He did not speak loudly. He did not speak aggressively.. He spoke casually too casually. It was as if the defendant thought the room and the court and the whole process were not important enough to be taken. The defendant did not say one thing that was wrong. It was the way the defendant spoke. It was the way the defendant sat. The defendant seemed to not understand what was going on. The defendant seemed to not know that the court and the process and the room deserved to be treated with seriousness. The defendants tone was the problem. The defendants posture was the problem. The defendants lack of awareness was the problem.
Respect in court isn’t about fear.
It is about understanding where the user’s. The user needs to know their location. This is the key to getting started. The user has to figure out where they are and this is very important, for the user. Understanding the location of the user is crucial.
The judge leaned forward a bit. His jaw got tight. He was not angry. He was holding back. This moment was very short it only lasted one second. The courtroom felt it. The courtroom became even quieter than it was before. Even the small movements people were making stopped completely. The courtroom was still because of the judge. The judges action made everyone, in the courtroom feel something.
The judge said something. The judge was talking to everyone, in the room. The judge spoke.
His voice was not raised. This was the part that people remembered later.
I do not want to go on like this. The way things are going is not okay, with me. I think I need to stop and think about the situation. The current situation is not working for me. I have to find a way to handle this. The way it is now is not good.
No lecture. No explanation. Just a statement.
The defendants face changed. He looked confused at first then it was, like something clicked. He understood. He sat up a little straighter like he was getting ready to say something. The lawyer moved a bit and that stopped him. The lawyer just shook his head a little. Not now. The defendant was not going to talk now the lawyer was telling him to wait.
The judge stopped talking for a moment.
The hearing is now closed. This hearing is finished.
That was it.
No debate. No warning. No second chance in that moment.
The chair made a noise as it moved back. You could hear the wood scraping against the floor. The judge got up from his seat slowly. He fixed his robe. Then he turned away, from the bench where he was sitting. The way the judge moved was very calm and deliberate. It seemed like he was done with everything. The judges movement was final.
When he walked out the courtroom just sat there for a moment. The people, in the courtroom did not do anything at first. The courtroom was really quiet.
People usually get a reaction when things end suddenly. You would expect people to gasp or murmur or whisper to each other.. That did not happen this time. It was like the people needed a moment to think about what the people had seen. The people just stood there in silence.
The hearing did not come to an end because of the evidence that was presented. The evidence was not the reason why the hearing did not finish.
It did not end because of a ruling. The situation, with the ruling and the way things were going was really something that caused a lot of problems. That was not the reason it stopped. The ruling was one part of the whole thing but it was not the thing that made it end.
It came to an end because of the behavior. The behavior was the reason it stopped. The situation ended due, to the behavior.
The defendant looked down. He did not feel confident like he used to. The defendant was not panicked now. The defendant had a feeling that things were not going to be okay. This feeling came to the defendant late. The defendant breathed out slowly his jaw got tight. The defendant kept looking at the floor in front of the defendant.
The lawyer finally made a move. The lawyer had been waiting for a time and now the lawyer is taking action. This is what the lawyer was supposed to do. The lawyer is doing something at last.
The movement was not really big. It was a small step closer a gentle hand near the defendants arm. This was a reminder that the court was not done yet it was just stopped for a moment.. When the court stops like this it can mean something will happen because of it. The court stopping like this often means there will be consequences, for the defendant.
In the gallery people stayed seated. They just sat there. Some people stared at the bench where the defendant was supposed to be. Others did not even look at the defendant. Everyone understood the situation with the defendant clearly now. The people, in the gallery all knew what was going on with the defendant.
Court isn’t just about outcomes.
This is, about how people should behave. The thing that matters is conduct. People need to think about their conduct.
Judges do not want respect just because they have power. They want respect because the system really needs it to work. If you do not have rules and limits a courtroom is a lot of people talking at the same time. When that happens it is hard to be fair to everyone. The system depends on respect, for judges so that is why they demand it. Without respect a courtroom becomes a place where it’s hard to hear anything clearly and that is where fairness goes away. Judges and the system need respect to make sure everyone gets a chance.
This was not a moment for drama. There were no voices, no banging on things. That is what made Authority so powerful. Authority does not always say look at me. Sometimes Authority just gets up. Walks away. Authority is not always loud that is what makes Authority so strong. Authority can be quiet. Still be, in charge.
People are going to talk about this thing on. They will be talking about it. This thing is going to be something that people talk about.
People will ask why the judge walked out. They will want to know if it helped the case or hurt the case. They will also wonder if the defendant understood what was going on at that moment.. Those questions will come later. The judge walking out is what people will be talking about. The judge walking out will be, on everyones mind. What did the judge walking out mean for the defendant?
The message was already clear inside that courtroom, where it was really quiet. The silence, in that courtroom said it all the message had already been delivered.
Respect isn’t optional in court.
Once the trust is lost the court does not go after it. The court is not going to chase after the trust. When the trust is lost it is gone for good. The court does not try to get it back. The trust is lost and that is it the court does not chase it.
The bench was empty, for a long time it did not have anyone sitting on the bench like it usually does. The bench just stayed empty.
And no one forgot why.