Opinion : Sometimes people are nutty in the peanut gallery

Being in the courtroom is an education. Not if you are in front and part of the show, but if you are an observer. As I watched one of the recent trials I noted several crazy antics from those that were scheduled to testify and a few in the peanut gallery.

It seems like this trial had been full of all kinds of drama, but the judge did an awesome job of shielding the jury from it. I found this trial getting frustrating for me as an observer. There are the usual unbelievable things that you hear in the course of the trial, and that's hard enough to process. Those are the things that stick with you. As a mom of girls and grandma of more girls, there are things that make calm thinking fly right out the window and makes you feel sick.

I think a lot about the officers investigating and how they have to note the details and the jury who hears most of the details, (but even some details are outside their earshot.) Then there is the judge who has to juggle what can and can't be heard in the courtroom. I love to watch as they process the information and weed through it all. They weigh the legality and try to be as fair as they can be to both the accused and the victims.

The odd thing about court is being an observer. It is knowing the things that the jury can't be told.

One particular case made me appreciate the levelheadedness of a judge. I seriously would have been much more snarky in response to some of the antics that he had to deal with. There were times that he had to dismiss the jury to discuss things that were happening. Every time, with class, he apologized letting the jury believe that the delays were all his fault, but in reality, it was always someone else that he was covering for or trying to corral. His job was to keep the jury unbiased from the silly gymnastics of those involved in the trial.

At one point someone in the galley had determined that one of the jurors had been sleeping. I saw the person accused, but they weren't asleep. Listening with their eyes shut yes, but there wasn't any relaxing. However, the friend of the defendant was practically jumping out of their seat to get my attention to inform me of their thoughts. Now I'm thinking, "Lady, you look like a crazy person...and what do you think I can do about it?" I seriously thought the judge would notice and throw her out on her ear, but she hid it from him well enough. She of course made a huge deal to the court during a recess. The judge also determined like I did that there was no snoring in the jury box. I was having flashbacks to raising six kids in the front row at church and thinking that they all behaved better than she was.

Another time, a woman that should have been testifying on behalf of the victims, refused to show up. A social worker no less. Her first excuse was that she had a headache and was in bed. The judge determined that she should be there. She then sent a message that she wouldn't testify unless she was subpoenaed. The judge, to his great credit, ordered the no-show to be contacted and to arrive immediately. This postponed the court about 45 minutes, leaving the jurors in another room while the court attempted to get the next witness to the courthouse.

The witness finally did grace us with her presence, complete with a rambling statement about how she wouldn't be testifying unless the judge ordered her to. I could see the judge's face getting red, while not showing emotion. As soon as her last words were uttered, his response was a firm, "So ordered!" If I were the cheering type, I would've uttered a, "Yes!" I seriously grinned and thought, "You go, judge!"

Of course, I was thinking of a snarky remark to her rambling statement that went something like, "Shut up and testify," but, of course, the judge was much classier than I would have been after the delay. As the trial wrapped up, the sentencing was scheduled. Without thinking about it, I'm like, "Let's just do it right here and right now!"

Of course, the judge is tasked with remaining calm, taking the time to weigh all the charges and penalties. Then before coming back with the sentence, and letting all of the information cool, in a levelheaded response, the sentence is handed down.

In this case there were more than a couple handfuls of charges, and the judge had to put it into legalese, so that those of us out in the public can weed through it and try to make sense of it when the records are filed. However, when it's time, the judge determines a fair sentence.

But even then, the antics in this case were not finished. Not by a long shot. During the sentencing phase, a relative of the defendant wanted to get in on the fun. The decision to video record the statements made by the victims was made, unwisely. The person wanted to show the video to the defendant's family who didn't bother to show up to follow the case.

If it's your first trip inside the courtroom, you'll see upon entry that there are signs posted all over, "Do NOT record!" "If you record you will be in deep doo doo!" Well, it doesn't say the words "doo doo" exactly, but that's what the signs are telling you.

Now as a journalist, we can request permission to record in advance of the trial if we'd like, or we can simply scribble notes to be used later. However, there are some in the public that for some reason. believe that gals in the office like to make signs with the copier just for giggles and then post them where you can't miss them on the courtroom doors.

The super sneaky relative had propped their phone up and began to record, in the front row no less. It is believed that this might be the first time that this type of brilliance has been seen in the Benton County courtroom.

This judge takes his job seriously, as he had all through the trial. The wanna-be-sneaky-while-in-the-front-row-so-I-can-get-a-good-shot person, was served with an, "Order to Show Cause." Now I had no idea what that meant, so I looked it up in Iowa Law.

According to Iowa Law under Chapter 665.7 it says, "Before punishing for contempt, unless the offender is already in the presence of the court, the offender must be served personally with an order to show cause against the punishment, and a reasonable time given the offender therefor; or the offender may be brought before the court forthwith, or on a given day, by warrant, if necessary. In either case the offender may, at the offender's option, make a written explanation of the offender's conduct under oath, which must be filed and preserved." It appears that a fine and possible jail time could be imposed for blatantly ignoring the rules of the courtroom.

When this sort of thing happens, the judge again has to protect the process. It requires a longer day no doubt, not to mention the hassle of dealing with morons. There are rules for a reason. They are posted so that you know what they are. When you break the rules the adults in the room have to do what they have to do to maintain decorum in the courtroom.

So if you've ever wondered if the signs on the door of the courtroom mean what they say, assume they do. Hats off to all those who help to make our justice system possible. From our officers who have to build the cases, to the lawyers who try them, and our judges and juries who serve to find an unbiased solution. And thanks to the ones who print the signs explaining the rules. And thanks to the clowns in the peanut gallery for giving me even more things to write about.