Judicial Milestones

Audio Transcription

Judicial Milestones is an interactive exhibit that contains a deep dive into the history of the Rule of Law in Colorado. There are images, articles, and videos about everything from the history of water rights to cases involving civil rights in state history. They are cross-referenced by date and subject. Down the center of this part of the Learning Center, there are panels explaining the Judicial Branch: Panel 1 THE JUDICIAL BRANCH: HOW OUR COURTS PRESERVE THE RULE OF LAW When "We the People" make the laws, we create laws to protect our liberty and promote our happiness. Our founders created our courts so that our laws serve us all fairly and impartially. Every day, our courts ensure that everyone receives the full equal protection and benefits of our laws. Panel 2 COLORADO STATE COURTS CREATED 1876 "The judicial power of the state shall be vested in a supreme court, district courts, a probate court in the city and county of Denver, a juvenile court in the city and county of Denver, county courts, and such other courts or judicial officers with jurisdiction inferior to the supreme court, as the general assembly may, from time to time establish...." This quote is from the Constitution of the State of Colorado, Article VI, Section 1. Panel 3 WHAT DO JUDGES DO? Judges identify the law that controls and apply it to the issues and evidence presented by the parties. For a trial court judge, this includes conducting fair and impartial proceedings at which parties present testimony and evidence, explaining the law to the jury, and making fair and impartial decisions. For appellate court judges, this means reviewing trial court rulings for correct application of the law. Appellate courts do not hear evidence or find facts. Panel 4 What laws do Colorado judges apply? When a judge searches for the answer to a legal question, where does he or she look? The potential sources of laws are many, but not unlimited, and they fall into a few main categories: - U.S. and Colorado Constitutions - U.S. and Colorado laws—written by the U.S. Congress or the Colorado General Assembly - U.S. and Colorado regulations—issued by the executive agencies of federal or state governments - Local laws established by counties, cities, and special districts - Legal precedents—decisions of higher U.S. or Colorado courts, such as the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court - Colorado Supreme Court rules that establish court procedures and the admission of evidence Panel 5 WHO IS WHO IN THE TRIAL COURT? In a typical criminal trial in Colorado, these people will be or might be in the courtroom: JUDGE — Presides over the trial, ensures that everyone follows the rules of the court, instructs the jury about the law, and sentences criminal defendants. WITNESS — A person called by the prosecutor or the defense attorney to give testimony about the case. CLERK — An assistant for the judge who keeps papers related to the case and records the judge's decisions on orders. PROSECUTOR — An attorney from the executive branch of government who represents the state of Colorado in the case against the defendant. COURT REPORTER — Keeps a word-by-word record of everything said in the courtroom. DEFENSE ATTORNEY — A lawyer who represents the defendant. JURY — 12 citizens selected to consider the evidence in the case and determine whether the defendant was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. BAILIFF — An officer of the court who assists the judge in the business of the court. NEWS REPORTERS — Newspapers, television stations, and other media sometimes send reporters to courtrooms to follow legal cases. DEFENDANT — A person charged with committing a crime. INTERPRETER — A person who translates the proceedings of a trial for non-English speakers. THE PUBLIC — Trials are open and anyone can watch the proceedings. Panel 6 WHO PARTICIPATES IN PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COURT OF APPEALS AND SUPREME COURT? Appellate courts review rulings made by the trial court to determine whether the trial court correctly applied the law. Lawyers submit written briefs addressing alleged errors and, in some cases, appear before the appellate court to present oral arguments in support of their positions. There are no witnesses and the parties seldom attend. During oral arguments, the following people will be or might be in the courtroom: JUDGES OR JUSTICES — Unlike trial judges, Court of Appeals judges work in groups of three and the Supreme Court Justices in a group of seven. APPELLANT'S ATTORNEY — Represents the party or parties who argue that the trial court's rulings should be reviewed, found to be in error, and overturned. APPELLEE'S ATTORNEY — Represents the party or parties who argue that the trial court's rulings were correct and should be upheld. PUBLIC — Appellate arguments are open and anyone can watch the proceedings. BAILIFF — Announces and records the proceedings and maintains order in the courtroom. NEWS REPORTERS — Newspapers, television stations, and other media sometimes send reporters to courtrooms to follow legal cases. THE RALPH L. CARR COLORADO JUDICIAL CENTER The Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center and the adjacent office building are home to the Colorado Supreme Court, the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Office of the State Court Administrator, the Supreme Court Law Library, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the State Public Defender, and other state judicial and legal agencies. The panel by the statue of Ralph Carr explains why the building was named after him. The main part of the panel is a picture of Governor Ralph L Carr standing behind a podium and giving a speech. This text is underneath the picture: This building is dedicated to the rule of law under the U.S. and Colorado Constitutions. It bears the name of Ralph Carr because of his courage and commitment to guaranteed individual rights and equal protection of the law. During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized Japanese Americans along the Pacific Coast to be removed from their homes and confined to internment camps. Colorado Governor Ralph Carr was the only important political figure in the United States to condemn the order. His commitment to the principle of equal treatment outraged many people, cost him his political career, and remains a shining example of devotion to equal justice under the law. On the upper left of the second part of the panel is a photograph of Governor Ralph Carr, a white man with a Stetson hat, glasses, and a short hair cut. Underneath is the text: IN 1942, RALPH CARR RAN FOR A U.S. SENATE SEAT from Colorado. A lifelong Republican, Carr lost the campaign by a small margin, though Republicans won virtually every other race in the state. Next to that is a cartoon of people in the back of a truck, labeled "CHEAP LABOR" "JAPS FROM THE WEST COAST" and "ALIEN ENEMIES". Underneath is the text: A CARTOON IN THE DENVER POST echoed the opinions of many Americans across the West at the start of World War II. On the lower left is a photo of a white woman in a light-colored dress standing on the front porch of a one-story house, pointing at a hand painted sign saying "JAPS KEEP MOVING this is a White Man's Neighborhood". Next to that is a picture of the barracks buildings of the Amache Internment Camp, also known as the Granada Relocation Center. They are one story, long rectangular buildings with gray roofs and lighter painted sides. They all have smokestacks for fireplaces, and some have gardens near their doors. The angle suggests the picture was taken from one of the guard towers. The text reads: in the spring of 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the relocation of Japanese Americans. The U.S. Army forcibly removed roughly 120,000 Japanese Americans from the Pacific Coast and relocated them to ten internment camps across the West. The Army built one of these camps—Amache—in southeastern Colorado. Included at the base of the panel is an exhibit of a movie about Ralph Carr and the Japanese American Internment. It has individual hearing devices shaped like earmuffs you can listen to the audio track with.