Tips on Etiquette and Rules in Manassas General District

Judges in Prince William County are particularly observant as to what a person is wearing. You need to dress respectfully for the court even if you don’t believe when the court deserves your respect. I promise you that if you give the court that respect, it will pay off. And conversely, if you show up in something that a judge deems to be disrespectful to the court or its processes, you will be embarrassed and you will probably be sent home. I’ve actually seen people get sent home for wearing things that weren’t appropriate to court. Your Manassas criminal lawyer can guide you through the court process and its etiquette.

Dress Code in Manassas General District Court

There isn’t a dress code per se, but I would strongly recommend that people avoid wearing shorts even in the hot months. That’s particularly true of men. What I always tell people, and most people kind of know what this means, is dress like you’re going to church. I’m aware not everybody goes to church but everybody knows what it means to dress to go to church and that’s generally what I would recommend.

You don’t need to be dressed in a formal suit, that’s for the lawyers. You certainly can and you’re welcome to if you’d like, but that’s not the minimum requirement. The minimum requirement is look like you’re going to a place where you care what people think about you because, let’s face it, if you’re a defendant in the criminal case, you’re there to be judged and what your appearance says about you could potentially sway how things go in court.

Arriving Early For Your Court Date

If your case is at 9:00 o’clock, I would strongly recommend you arrive to the courthouse by 8:30. There is only one way in and out of that courthouse, and on busy days, and most of the time it is pretty busy there, there will be a line to get through security. Everybody that enters that building has to go through security and that can just take a lot of time. Think about going to the airport, you always want to be nice and early because you always worry about how long the line is going to be at the security. Same thing with Prince William County Courthouse.

Cellphone Policy in the General District Court in Manassas

There is no cellphone-specific restriction, although the specific prohibition in Prince William County is that no devices that can take photographs are allowed.

Now, ten years ago, cellphones were allowed as long as they didn’t have cameras, but nowadays everybody’s got smartphones and everybody’s got cameras that are right there on your phone.

Prohibited Items in General District Court

Well, all of the things that one might imagine. Certainly no weapons or anything that could even be construed as a weapon, no mace or harmful liquids or sprays are allowed in the court. Additionally, no recording devices of any kind that includes audio recording are permitted.

Unfortunately there are no lockers and they will not hold them there for you, so you will have to return to your car or however you got there and put those items away safely because there’s nothing they’ll do for you other than just turn you away and tell you that you can’t come in.