Well, the legal system may not be perfect, but it isn’t as screwed up as I had feared. An administrative cockup that had already been fixed was met with “have a nice day” vs “here are some nice bracelets for you for the next 90 days”. (Yes, the 90 days was a potential outcome.)
Another observation: People really don’t seem to dress appropriately for court anymore. I was only there for moral support and *I* even ditched my normal “just escaped from prison” look for skirt & heels.
Also saw a good judge in action. On more than a few occasions, he looked at the defendant and flat out said, “You’re going to need a lawyer - go get one and see you next month.”
