The Last Word
Passing the bar
By PAT FRIDGEN

The wheels of justice turn slowly. I found that out when I went to court.

Just to clarify - I went to WATCH. I wasn't summoned or anything like that. I was on the outside looking in. Technically. Outside literally became inside. Bear with me as I explain.

Antrim Township denied the land development plan of Sky King Fireworks last January. Sky King filed an appeal with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in February. The hearing was in September. I decide it would be fun to cover the event for the newspaper. So I head up to Chambersburg on a Thursday morning.

Enroute to Courtroom 1, I pass through an 'Authorized Personnel Only'door and no one arrests me. I take a left and wander into the judge's outer office. A startled woman redirects me to the right to the courtroom door.

Inside, I unobtrusively sit in the gallery. I am the one and only member of the audience.

The lawyers on both sides chat amiably with each other for 20 minutes. I have seen such behavior before and respect that quality of our learned counsel. They may be adversaries in court, but the rest of the time they are comrades. On one case they may be rivals, on the next they may be partners. So they donít take the oppositional stances personally. Itís business.

So I'm sitting here on a wooden bench, minding my own business, impressed with the majestic courtroom, the portraits of judges past, the aura of justice. Along comes the bailiff, who I later find out is really a court crier. He asks if I am a member of the press. Then he invites me to sit in the press area to the side. I ask if it is better over there.

"The seats are softer," he says.

I move over to that side and sit in a cushioned chair next to a ledge for my notebook. Just over the bar from me are the Sky King lawyers. If they whisper loudly enough, I will be able to hear them.

The judge enters. All rise, all sit.

The judge looks at me. Oh no. He asks which paper I represent and then lauds a former publisher.

Testimony begins. I take notes. The judge looks at me. Oh no. He asks me a question. I say yes, I can hear the township lawyer just fine.

The judge isn't satisfied. He directs me to move up farther, to the court officer chairs. It is a better view, he says. I move. You don't say no to a judge.

Dialogue continues. The judge makes comments. He is loud. He is funny. I didn't think judges were supposed to be funny.

For instance, after a lawyer tells him he has a particular authority, the judge says, "By golly, I feel a lot better now that I know I'm in charge."

And, after lawyers elucidate a point, he states, "Let me say this, I'm brighter than I look."

The Sky King lawyer has a chart. He offers to lay it on the judge's bench. The judge instead walks down into the well of the courtroom. That is the area in the center. I know this because I went home and looked up the terms for the parts of a courtroom. Like that bar I just mentioned? That is the wooden rail that circles the well. Only lawyers and witnesses, etc. are supposed to be inside the bar. That's why lawyers 'pass the bar'. But I digress.

So guess who looks at me again? He invites me into the well so I can see the chart and understand what they are talking about. All of a sudden I find myself standing shoulder to shoulder with a judge, surrounded by attorneys, taking notes during oral arguments. Who would have guessed?

Two hours into the morning, the judge calls a recess. My parking meter is about to expire so I take leave. I had naively thought the whole process would take an hour or two. It lasts two days.

Friday morning is not nearly so informal. It is like, well, a trial. The Antrim lawyer questions an Antrim witness and the Sky King lawyer cross-examines. The judge still makes amusing comments, though, like "When the sun goes down the vampires come out. I want to get home before that."

I sit at my table and take notes. After two hours I leave again. I have that luxury.

I'm glad I am a member of the press. I only have to report what I see. I'm glad I'm not a judge. He has to examine the evidence on both sides and consider precedent and make a decision. Me? Whoever is talking at the time sounds right.

So I'll stick to newspaper work but I do walk with my head just a little bit higher. After all, I passed the bar.