In front of courtroom B of the Sarreguemines court, many visitors are waiting. This Saturday, September 17, they will attend a mock trial. The objective: to take advantage of the European Heritage Days to introduce citizens to the workings of justice. “I had never entered a court. I said to myself that it was a good opportunity to see a hearing and especially to discover the game of lawyers. It’s still better than on TV!“, jokes Sylvie, on the doorstep. Inside, nearly fifty people come to occupy the benches.
– Emma Steven
The courtroom is full and Juliette, 11, hopes that attending this trial will allow her to find an answer to all the questions she has: “how is the room laid out? How are the defendants doing? I want to study law, I think it will be very interesting and I will learn a lot“, wishes the young girl. Clerks, lawyers, prosecutor… all the actors of the court play the game. After having randomly selected visitors converted into assessorsCatherine Bruère, the president, details the facts: a case of domestic violence judged in 2017 in Metz and anonymized for the occasion.
200 people expected
At the end of the simulation, the visitors remembered one thing above all: “even if it is important for the victim and the accused person to be able to express themselves, I was very surprised by the time it took to present all the alleged facts. A hearing is still very long!“, summarizes Patricia who did not wait for the end of the hearing to leave. The magistrates hope that this fictitious trial will encourage citizens to attend real trials.
In total, nearly 200 people were expected in the aisles of the court. In addition to the two reconstructions organized this Saturday afternoon, visitors were able to attend the historical presentation of the buildingdiscover the court library and the different robes of magistrates and lawyers.