FIRST: You had tell the person that you were going to start an action against them to be heard in "court". You had to bring witnesses with you so your witnesses could testify that the person was told why you were bringing an action, and that you had given this person a date, time, and location that they had to appear in court to defend themselves.
SECOND: You had to post a written notice near the courthouse that clearly stated the names of both parties, the charges, and the date, time, and location of your first trip to court on this action.
FIRST TIME IN COURT: The first trip gave both parties a chance to speak before a judge. If the judge felt there was enough cause, that judge would assign a trial date. That trial date had to be posted as well.
JURY SELECTION, TRIAL BY JURY: To be on a jury, you had to be a citizen. You had to be over 30 years of age. You had to swear that you would be fair to both sides. You did get paid. Juries were selected from volunteers. The number of jurors could be huge. Some trials had as many as 500 jurors who had volunteered to judge a case. Only the jury could bring in a decision that someone was guilty or innocent. The judge only kept order, but could not decide a trial outcome.
THE TRIAL: Both sides presented their case. Then the jurors voted. Majority ruled.
PUNISHMENT: Punishments varied. If found guilty, both sides, the person bringing the charge and the person being charged, suggested a punishment. The jury could not choose a third choice. They had to choice one suggestion or the other.
