What is the layout of the facilities in American courts?

The position of the judge is the highest. He lives in the middle of the court. When he sits, he is about a head taller than the standing lawyers and prosecutors. The wall behind the judge's seat is not like a federal court. There is a sign engraved with "We Believe in God", but it is a symbol of Pennsylvania, with the American flag and the Pennsylvania state flag on the side. There is also a door behind the court, which opens the judge's own office.

In rare cases, the judge will call the defense lawyer and the prosecutor into the office at the same time, or discuss issues that are inconvenient to disclose to the audience and jury, or blame the prosecutor or lawyer. Some courts have jury seats, which are only used when the defendant pleads not guilty and asks for a jury trial.

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The courts in the United States are very different from those in China: firstly, they are individual courts for judges. According to the Constitution of the United States, a judge holds office for life, unless he neglects his duty or resigns, and is not restricted by retirement or changes in political parties. Therefore, every court will have some personal styles of judges. For example, some judges will hang a portrait of themselves.

Except prosecutors, defense lawyers and clients, everyone in the court works for the judge, including stenographers, clerks and assistant judges. Professor Cohen is a famous legal expert in China. When he was young, he served as the assistant to Mr. Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The biggest difference between Chinese and American courts is the defendant's position. Different from China, courts all over the United States do not place defendants alone in a surrounded environment, but let defendants sit with their lawyers (lawyers and prosecutors stand 90% of the time, especially when talking to judges) and face the judges side by side with prosecutors. This design should be based on the deep-rooted legal tradition of presumption of innocence in common law.