Answers to court docket questions
OK, I want to know what would cause a person to take time out of their lives to count how many cases are on a court docket in the newspaper to see if it jives with the number of cases I?ve listed in the beginning paragraph.
With the exception of hot news stories, the disappearing court cases is the most prevalent question I face from readers. In case you?re not following, on general sessions and circuit court dockets in which we just run cases en masse, I always preface it with a brief synopsis that goes something like ?Judge Ross heard a 70-person docket? to give readers an idea of how big the case load was that day.
However, in doing so I think I confuse some readers, some of whom mistakenly believe I?ve either overlooked or held back certain cases from making the paper. They count the cases listed in the paper and figure out they generally do not equal the number of cases heard by the court.
There are good reasons for this, reasons for which I sometimes run as a disclaimer at the bottom of dockets if I think of it.
The main reason is space. The docket goes long anyway and, frankly, while it may include names of people you know, the docket, for reading material, is generally dry since it?s simply a recital of charges and punishments. Therefore, we include only the cases where something is actually done.
In other words, if a case is put off until a later date or if it?s dismissed, we generally won?t waste our ink. Also, in traffic court, we run only jailable offenses since a large part of it is simple speeding cases which are settled by a fine or driving school. Frankly, Billy Bob getting a speeding ticket isn?t worth wasting my time if I?m a reader so we don?t bother boring you with it.
It?s these exclusions which account for the case load not matching the cases printed. It?s certainly not people asking me to conceal cases as a favor.
Ask any of my friends, or even some of my relatives, and they?ll tell you real quick I play no favorites on the docket. As I?ve said many times in columns before, don?t come down here telling me it will ?kill momma to see her little angel?s name in the paper? because I don?t care. You should have thought about that before you went drunk driving or got caught with a bag of weed.
Actually, it?s probably about time momma knows her little angel is a little devil anyway. I simply transcribe the docket printed at the courthouse and put it in the paper, minus useless speeding cases and continued cases.
As for people who have the same name as people in the docket, we offer an easy fix, that being, running a clarification in the next docket saying it isn?t you. However, since we have liars here who have misled us in the past, wrongly getting clarifications, we require you to go through the clerk?s office first so they can make sure you are not a liar. I?m sorry you have the same name as a criminal but there?s nothing I can do about it other than printing a middle initial when it?s available or giving you a clarification later.
It?s even happened to me. When I started here, there was a Roger Sherrill busted for drunk driving. Yes, that?s my real name. I didn?t bother printing a clarification because people who know me know I wouldn?t do that.
If you have a good reputation in the community, I don?t think it?s necessary for the paper to tell the world you aren?t the same Billy Bob who robbed the bank. However, we will if you insist. All you have to do is ask.
Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].