Editorial: Respect rules apply in court

There are few situations in modern society where a certain standard of behaviour and dress is still expected and enforced, but the courtroom is one of them.

I was surprised to hear a Tauranga District Court judge had thrown a man in the cells for not standing in court this week - but good on him for doing so.

The 32-year-old refused to stand as Judge Peter Rollo re-entered the courtroom following morning recess.

It seems an ill-thought-out decision for someone who was soon to step into the dock where the same judge would decide the consequences of him twice breaching his prison-release conditions.

It was a decision he had time to ponder during his two-hour wait in the cells before making his apology.

My visits to the courtroom have all been to sit behind the media desk. The room is cold to accommodate the formal dress expected, and sunglasses on your head are in the same realm as shorts - they have no place.

The informal chatter among lawyers, police and the public is silenced by the court crier's sudden, loud command to, "All rise".

To not shut up and stand up is an obvious act of defiance.

In a room where life-changing decisions are made and justice is sought for heinous crimes, the standards need to remain high.

Whatever your reason for being in the courtroom, your dress and demeanour should reflect the gravity of the goings-on inside it. As Judge Rollo put it, the man who would not stand appeared to be giving the court the finger.

To let these things slide would signal a drop in the level of respect the court commands and send a message that being in the dock isn't as serious or disgraceful as it is.