Palais de justice – Afternoon at the courtroom

Image by Tamara Mesaric

The Palais de justice is not a place where people go spontaneously when they visit a new town, but I find it just as interesting as cafes, museums and markets to learn about and understand the society and its way of functioning. Judicial rituals, roles, power representations-all so visible at the national courthouses are extremely interesting to observe (not understanding the language makes it even more apparent). There is of course a dose of suspense as seen on courtroom films and TV series, though less fairy tale like.

As the public principle is one of the most important in the French law, general public is allowed to follow the procedures. So, after passing the security check, you are free to choose a courtroom (just avoid the time between 12:30 – 13:30 as it is a lunch break).

The French law system is continental; based on Roman law and radically different from Anglo Saxon common law. It is based on written codes and not on the precedents (prior decisions), and judges have a more dominant role in a quest for proofs, not leaving all the burden of the proofs to the barristers.

As the common law system is more represented in movies, it makes it a more common vision of the process in our minds. At the Palais the process will be less theatrical and the big jury won’t be present, but the adventure of visiting the courtrooms is certainly worth a try.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Palais de justice | Art & culture | Free
4, Boulevard du Palais | Louvre/Les Halles
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 18:00