Job Description
Court ushers perform work in 3 different areas: they prepare courtrooms for hearings, provide assistance during hearings and enforce courtroom rules.
There are court ushers in every court at the municipal, provincial and federal level in Quebec. Court ushers work in over 130 courts across the province, keeping things on track.
Preparation for Hearings
The court usher gets a courtroom ready for the start of a hearing by doing the following:
- making sure the judge has the necessary materials (paper, pens, water, etc.).
- making sure the judge has all the laws she needs
- helping the court clerk transport the stacks of files related to a case to the courtroom
- making sure the lawyers and parties (individuals and organizations involved in a case) are present
Assistance during Hearings
When everything is ready and it’s time to start the hearing, the court usher must:
- escort the judge from her office to the courtroom and make sure that the judge is safe
- open the court session by asking everyone to stand and remain silent until the judge sits down
- stay in the courtroom during the hearing and respond to requests. For example, a court usher might have to photocopy documents or meet with witnesses who are waiting in the hallway to make sure they know when to enter the courtroom. Witnesses are only allowed to be in the courtroom when it is their turn to speak. This rule ensures they are not influenced by what they hear in court.
- act as messenger between the judge, lawyers, or parties if the hearing is delayed for some reason.
Enforcing Courtroom Rules
Where do court ushers work?
The court usher must make sure that each hearing unfolds in a calm and orderly fashion, and that everyone behaves respectfully towards the court. A court usher makes sure:
In summary, the court usher makes life easier for the judge, lawyers, parties and witnesses by discreetly looking after all of these details.
- everyone sits properly and is dressed appropriately. No baseball caps!
- everyone in the courtroom is safe
- there are no cameras in the courtroom, including cell phone cameras. (The job of a court usher is definitely more difficult during court hearings that get a lot of media attention since it's his responsibility to ensure that videos of a hearing don’t end up on the Internet.)
- journalists in the courtroom or hallways respect restrictions. For example, to respect the privacy of people involved, certain hearings are called “closed” hearings. For this type of hearing, journalists and members of the public are not allowed to listen in. A closed hearing is also called an in camera hearing.
In summary, the court usher makes life easier for the judge, lawyers, parties and witnesses by discreetly looking after all of these details.
There are court ushers in every court at the municipal, provincial and federal level in Quebec. Court ushers work in over 130 courts across the province, keeping things on track.
