My time at the Federal Courthouse was very eye-opening. Going in, I honestly didn’t expect to get to do so much in terms of actual work. I expected to sit in our hearings, do some organizing and maybe get to do a little research. This was not the case at all. In this internship, I got the opportunity to sit in on countless hearings, both criminal and civil. I was able to see what information the courts are willing to make public and what they keep protected and under seal. I learned how judges weigh different factors when it comes to sentencing and how they uphold the standards of law. I learned that different judges run their court rooms differently, some are focused heavily on making sure all their bases are covered, trying to avoid anything that could lead to an appeal, other focused on making the courtroom environment more comfortable. While I found great value in seeing so many hearings, the experiences I found most beneficial were the research and legal writing work that I was able to participate in. I was thrown into the fire right away to do research and develop a draft of an order. This process was not easy; I learned that law is not always black and white. Often cases have elements that sit in a grey space that requires hours of research to clean up. Often, I found myself going down research rabbit holes for hours, some that paid off and some that left me with more questions than answers. Through trial, error, and a lot of feedback from people with far more experience than I, I was able to
produce an effective order to be presented to the Judge. This whole experience made me realize how much work really goes into the decisions that a judge must make. So often court is portrayed as a case being presented in real time and the judge having to decide on the spot. In reality, each judge, especially at the federal level, has a team of people behind them putting in hours of research to ensure that the judge is able to make an informed decision on each case.
