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Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006Courtrooms: Part One
Hello: Is it still current in the US to designate courtrooms in a courthouse with "Part One" and similar? Is this related to "region, district?" ---- One morning when I had to deliver a letter for him to the courthouse clerk I stopped afterward to look through the little porthole windows of the doors to the courtrooms. None were occupied. Nobody said not to so I went into Part One and sat down. E.L. Doctorow, Billy Bathgate, p. 195 ----- Thank you. Marius Hancu > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > E.L. Doctorow, Billy Bathgate, p. 195 > ----- As far as I know it's terminology that is unique to New York State's judicial system. I'm not at all sure that the meaning is "physical courtroom", as you seem to suggest. I think it's more like "division of responsibility". It's not a big division like region or district. There are multiple parts within a single courthouse or level of the judiciary, I believe. But you'd have to consult a New York State shyster to be sure.  SignatureBuckwheat Soba > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > E.L. Doctorow, Billy Bathgate, p. 195 Having been in courthouses I''never encoutered any rooms call "Part" anything.. Room 1 yes Part One " never. > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > of the doors to the courtrooms. None were occupied. Nobody said not to > so I went into Part One and sat down. I've only heard it in connection with New York (mainly on *Law and Order* and its various clones). I've been in state courts in several other states and never seen or heard it. It is in current use in New York. In most trial courts, courtrooms are numbered, and persons seeking to do business in court are directed to a particular courtroom by number. To the extent that further designation may be required, the judge's name suffices. New York does tend to have its own terminology. For example, only in New York, to my knowledge, is the Supreme Court a trial court rather than the highest appellate court. And only in New York, to my knowlege, do they call the judges of the trial court "justices." SignatureBob Lieblich No relation to Jack McCoy > New York does tend to have its own terminology. For example, only in > New York, to my knowledge, is the Supreme Court a trial court rather > than the highest appellate court. The intermediate appellate courts, the so-called "Appellate Division", are, I think, more fully "the Supreme Court, Appellate Division". > And only in New York, to my > knowlege, do they call the judges of the trial court "justices." There are all those Justices of the Peace out there in the sticks. Those might be below the trial court level. New York state is possibly the only one of the 50 whose highest judicial court is called the "Court of Appeals" -- anyone know? "Supreme Court" is probably the most common. SignatureBuckwheat Soba As we all stood and listened, Buckwheat Soba sung the following words: > New York state is possibly the only one of the 50 whose highest > judicial court is called the "Court of Appeals" -- anyone know? > "Supreme Court" is probably the most common. Wikipedia tells me that Maryland and the District of Columbia both also have a "Court of Appeals" as their highest court, while West Virginia calls theirs a "Supreme Court of Appeals". SignatureA. Gwilliam To e-mail me, replace "bottomless_pit" with "devnull" > As we all stood and listened, Buckwheat Soba sung the following words: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > have a "Court of Appeals" as their highest court, while West Virginia > calls theirs a "Supreme Court of Appeals". The District of Columbia is, of course, not one of the 50 states. SignatureBuckwheat Soba As we all stood and listened, Buckwheat Soba sung the following words: > > As we all stood and listened, Buckwheat Soba sung the following > > words: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > The District of Columbia is, of course, not one of the 50 states. Well, you did say "50", I suppose. And there's no reason why its institutional terminology would be the same as for a state, and probably reasons why it wouldn't be... Still, no real reason to ignore it! SignatureA. Gwilliam To e-mail me, replace "bottomless_pit" with "devnull" > Buckwheat Soba sung: >> A. Gwilliam wrote: >>> Buckwheat Soba sung: >>>> New York state is possibly the only one of the 50 whose highest >>>> judicial court is called the "Court of Appeals" -- anyone know? [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > probably reasons why it wouldn't be... Still, no real reason to > ignore it! Maybe, but it does not get a star either. SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/ >New York state is possibly the only one of the 50 whose highest judicial >court is called the "Court of Appeals" -- anyone know? "Supreme Court" is >probably the most common. In Massachusetts it's the "Supreme Judicial Court" (LCOACITWH). -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are wollman@csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness >New York does tend to have its own terminology. For example, only in >New York, to my knowledge, is the Supreme Court a trial court rather >than the highest appellate court. And only in New York, to my >knowlege, do they call the judges of the trial court "justices." This mention of judges has reminded me of a letter to the editor of The Times (of London) on Friday. It was from a man by the name of "I. Judge" who actually is a judge At home he is Sir Igor Judge, and professionally he is Lord Justice Judge, President of the Queen's Bench Division. Letter: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2707-2423351,00.html Third person down on: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1287.htm SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > E.L. Doctorow, Billy Bathgate, p. 195 Meanwhile, back at the question: I'd reckon "Part" is the designation of a particular entity within the system. In the California state courts I've had business with, They were called "Departments". "Superior Court, Department 9" might go into session in room 4019 of the courthouse, or another room if that one happened to be under repair or otherwise unavailable. The signs designating which court department would be in a given room were portable, hanging from brackets extending at a right angle from walls by means of hooks, or if flat against a wall, cradled in slots. Infrequently, a court department would travel to the County Hospital jail ward to arraign a sick or injured defendant; nowadays it can happen _via_ closed circuit TV. SignatureFrank ess > Meanwhile, back at the question: I'd reckon "Part" is the designation > of a particular entity within the system. In the California state > courts I've had business with, They were called "Departments". > "Superior Court, Department 9" might go into session in room 4019 of > the courthouse, or another room if that one happened to be under > repair or otherwise unavailable. Did a department specialize in a specific type of cases (say divorces, crimes, etc)? Thank you all. Marius Hancu >> Meanwhile, back at the question: I'd reckon "Part" is the >> designation [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Thank you all. > Marius Hancu Generally, yes: civil and criminal were the principal divisions. In criminal cases there were arraignment departments, where many plea bargains were arranged, trial departments, in which sentencings also took place. Both criminal and civil divisions had presiding departments, where assignments of cases were made. I'm certain some departments specialized in one type of case or another, for one reason or another, and that some were courts-of-all-trades. SignatureFrank ess > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Thank you. > Marius Hancu |
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