January 9th, 2025
Job shadow with Chris McDonough at the DA’s Office
Mr.McDonough is a Mobile County Assistant District Attorney and Fijis handler. The district attorney’s office has been working on getting a facility dog for nearly two years. Fiji is a service dog and is trained to do assistive tasks, grounding tasks, and some social tasks. When victims take the stand to testify, Fiji will be able to sit on their feet and be underneath the witness stand with them as a source of comfort for them. He can lay across your lap, put his head on your knee, and maintain that position for indefinite periods until he’s released.
My job shadowing with Mr.McDonough took place at the Mobile County Courthouse. As I walked in, I did what most did and followed the crowd of unfamiliar faces in, through security, and into the elevators. To my surprise, before getting into the elevators Mr.McDonough and his dog (Fiji) arrived and were able to help me feel comfortable on my journey to his office.
Upon arriving at his office, we sat and discussed the details of the courts. The federal court system has three main levels: district courts, circuit courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States. The American criminal justice system uses two types of juries: grand juries and trial juries. Although grand juries and trial juries are both made up of a group of people called for jury duty, they serve different purposes. A grand jury helps determine whether to bring charges against a suspect, while trial jurors render a verdict at the trial itself.
During my job shadow, we started by visiting the district court, where we explored the behind-the-scenes areas. This included the paths criminals take before entering the courtroom, which were a maze of zig-zagging corridors. We peeked into several courtrooms before deciding to stay in one. While waiting for the judge (Spiro Cheriogotis) to arrive, we observed various cases, many of which were traffic violations. Before the main cases began, the judge's assistant worked efficiently to keep the courtroom moving.
One of the cases that stood out was a murder trial involving two males accused of breaking into a home, killing the victim, and stealing belongings. The relationship between the suspects and the victim was unclear, and while the news had initially been present, they left before the details were discussed. Another notable case involved a woman charged with domestic violence against two men. The situation was complex, as domestic violence charges require a domestic relationship, but it turned out she was pregnant, and neither man was the father. Additionally, a case involving a young boy charged with assaulting his father caught my attention. The court requested a mental evaluation for him after learning he had previously shot at his mother. On that note, I learned that a district judge is not actually able to order a mental eval, only circuit judges can. This experience was jaw-dropping and provided a deeper understanding of the legal system and the range of cases handled daily.
Lastly, we headed up to the circuit courts where I was given the opportunity to observe and then meet Judge Vicki M. Davis.
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