The following individuals are usually considered officers of the court: •
Judges, including
magistrates and
coroners •
Lawyers are usually considered officers of the court. In the United States the
Supreme Court held in
Ex parte Garland that "Attorneys and counselors are not officers of the United States; they are officers of the court, admitted as such by its order upon evidence of their possessing sufficient legal learning and fair private character." In
England and Wales, however,
barristers are not officers of the court, whereas
solicitors are. In other jurisdictions, such as Ontario, Canada, advocates like
paralegals are recognised as officers of the court. •
Court clerks and other personnel employed by the court • Individuals appointed by the court to perform certain legal functions, such as
liquidators (in England and Wales, in compulsory liquidations),
trustees in bankruptcy,
executors and
administrators •
Medical examiners, and other medical and psychiatric professionals •
Police officers, including
sheriffs,
constables, and other enforcement personnel such as
bailiffs,
sheriff officers,
messengers-at-arms and
tipsaves (who may also be administrative officials) •
Interpreters/
translators are generally considered officers of the court. They render their services to the parties in the interests of the court proceedings. Some interpreters may be employed on a permanent basis by courts to act as interpreters when called upon, e.g.
International Court of Justice and the
European Court of Justice. In some jurisdictions, interpreters may also be deemed as officers of the court
pro tempore. Court interpreters and translators have an absolute ethical duty to tell judges the truth and avoid evasion. •
Process servers are, in some jurisdictions, appointed by a court and are considered appointed officers of the court. ==Sources and references==