Memorandum

Date: April 23, 2009

Re: Visit to Champaign Court House

To: Shelley Smithson

From: Will Atwater  

One of the first things that I learned about the Champaign County Court House  is that criminal cases are heard on the third floor where there are three  courtrooms; divorce and traffic courts are held on the first and second floors.  This morning judge Thomas J. Difanis conducted four arraignment proceedings,  which involved the defendants entering a plea and either requesting or waving  their rights to a trial. We soon learned that in each case, the attorneys for the  accused had negotiated a plea deal, which involved pleading guilty to a lesser  charge with the expectation of receiving a lighter sentence.

I was struck by how subdued the proceedings were and how quickly things  transpired. Mary Schenk informed us about what the numbers an letters that  appear on file folder mean (CF-criminal felony, MR-miscellaneous remedy,  etc). She also informed us that a discovery affidavit is a document that includes  a list of witnesses and other information related to a case being built against  the accused. Both the defense and the prosecuting attorneys share the  document, and I believe the information collected in this file will influence  whether or not a plea bargain will be offered, or if there is enough evidence to  proceed with building a case.  

Another point of interest was learning that the only cases closed to the public  are ones involving juvenile delinquency and juvenile neglect. Also, I was not  aware that the News-Gazette has a self-imposed policy of not placing the  names of juveniles in the paper. However, I was surprised to learn that many  judges feel publishing the names of juvenile defendants would serve as a  deterrent.  

The thing that stands out mostly from my trip to court was hearing Mary  Schenk stress how important it is to establish rapport with all of the officers  and employees of the court. They are the gate-keepers in this arena and a  reporter must win their trust and respect in order to have long-term success.