Court Observers
Court records describe outcomes. Court observers document what happens between the opening and closing of proceedings — the judicial conduct that shaped those outcomes, the treatment of litigants, the handling of accommodation requests, and the procedural patterns that do not appear in official transcripts. This on-the-ground field monitoring function is one that state-established NHRIs exercise through institutional presence. The IAJ exercises it through trained, disciplined, independent observers.
How This Role Serves the IAJ's Shadow NHRI Function
Paris Principles NHRIs are empowered to visit institutions and observe proceedings. The Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture establishes National Preventive Mechanisms specifically to conduct preventive monitoring visits. The United States has not ratified OPCAT, and has no NPM. In that absence, independent court observation by civil society bodies performing the NHRI function represents the closest available equivalent to the monitoring mandate these instruments require.
The IAJ has identified 24 recurring categories of official conduct plausibly constituting torture or CIDT. Categories 1 through 12 are direct harm factors — specific acts causing documented harm. Categories 13 through 18 are facilitation factors — institutional mechanisms that make harm inescapable. Categories 19 through 24 are systemic impunity factors — the absence of investigation and accountability. Court observers collect the field evidence that substantiates findings across all three levels.
A complainant's account of judicial conduct is one data point. A court observer who has attended ten proceedings before the same judge, documented the same patterns, and produced systematic written records is an institutional asset. The IAJ's findings gain their weight from the convergence of multiple evidentiary sources: complainant testimony, court records, medico-legal documentation, and independent field observation. Observers provide the fourth source.
Court observation is also one of the most direct expressions of the accountability function that NHRIs serve. Proceedings that would otherwise occur without independent witness, before judges who face no external scrutiny of their conduct, occur differently when a trained observer is present and will document what they observe.
Your Contribution to Standards Evolution and Quality Assurance
Every volunteer in this role contributes directly to the on-going evolution, improvement, and quality assurance of the standards governing the Court Observers track — and, as applicable to your scope of work, to every other IAJ standard you touch. The IAJ's methodological frameworks, investigative protocols, tribunal rules, documentation templates, training modules, and published standards are living documents. Volunteers test them, critique them, identify gaps and ambiguities, propose refinements, and in doing so advance the institution's methodological rigour. Contribution to standards development and quality assurance is an expected and welcomed part of every volunteer engagement with the IAJ — not an optional add-on.
What the IAJ Is Looking For — Open to All
Open to Anyone — No Requirements
Court observation is open to every member of the public. The IAJ imposes NO mandatory qualifications on court observers. Courts are public institutions, and any person may attend a public proceeding and document what they observe. The qualities described below are ideal but not necessary — they describe the ideal observer, not the minimum observer. Anyone willing to sit in a courtroom and write down what they see can contribute meaningfully to the IAJ's work.
Geographic Availability (ideally, not necessary)
ideal but not necessary: ability to attend proceedings in person in jurisdictions where IAJ investigations are active. Any observation anywhere, in any jurisdiction, is welcome.
Systematic Documentation (ideally, not necessary)
ideal but not necessary: disciplined note-taking and the ability to record observations accurately and without editorializing. The IAJ provides simple documentation templates that anyone can use — you do not need prior training to fill them in.
Court Procedure Knowledge (ideally, not necessary)
ideal but not necessary: understanding of court procedure sufficient to follow proceedings. Prior experience as a litigant, attorney, court reporter, or legal observer is helpful but expressly not required. Observers who are new to the courtroom often notice things that experienced professionals overlook because they have normalized them.
Emotional Resilience (ideally, not necessary)
ideal but not necessary: the ability to observe difficult proceedings — including family court cases involving child separation — while maintaining enough composure to document what occurs. If a proceeding becomes too distressing, leaving is always appropriate.
Commitment to Objectivity (ideally, not necessary)
ideal but not necessary: willingness to document what actually occurs, including proceedings that do not support the IAJ's analytical framework. Honest observation — even when it contradicts expectations — is more valuable than polished advocacy.
What You Will Do
- › Attend publicly accessible court proceedings — family court, civil court, administrative hearings — identified by the IAJ as relevant to active investigations
- › Produce structured written observation reports using the IAJ's documentation format, capturing judicial conduct, procedural events, accommodation handling, and treatment of litigants
- › Track the treatment of individuals identified in IAJ investigations across multiple proceedings over time
- › Document the handling of disability accommodation requests and compare outcomes against CRPD and ADA standards
- › Identify and report patterns of conduct that recur across proceedings before the same judge, in the same court, or in the same category of proceeding
- › Contribute field observations to the IAJ evidence database and to investigation findings
- › Coordinate with IAJ legal and research teams to ensure observation targets align with active investigation priorities
Credentials & Background
There are NO credential requirements for court observers. Anyone can be a court observer. Courts are public institutions, and any member of the public may attend a public proceeding and document what they observe. Prior experience in legal proceedings — as an attorney, paralegal, court reporter, legal aid worker, litigant, or trained observer — and training in fact-based documentation, journalism, or social science field research are ideal but not necessary. The IAJ provides orientation to its documentation standards and observation protocols to every observer who wants it, and the documentation templates are designed for use by people with no prior training. Nothing on this page should be read as excluding anyone from serving as an IAJ court observer.
Apply for This Role
Applications are reviewed by IAJ staff and responded to individually. In your application, reference this role and describe how your background prepares you to contribute to the IAJ's function as a shadow NHRI.