WORKING: CONVERSATIONS WITH ESSENTIAL WORKERS

BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE COURT SYSTEM

Written by Justice Elizabeth A. Grimes

Inspired by Studs Terkel’s 1972 masterpiece Working, which rang out the voices of workers from all walks of life who described what they did all day and how they felt about their work, we decided to talk to some of the essential workers in the court system. This is the fourth of an occasional series of interviews in which people who are not lawyers or judges talk about the work they do behind the scenes in the court system. Below are the words of Duchan Mazariegos, a security officer for the Court of Appeal for 22 years, and Gerson Enamorado, a court systems (IT) administrator at the court since 2018. Both were interviewed by Justice Elizabeth A. Grimes in July 2024.

Duchan Mazariegos, the security officer. The best years of Duchan’s career have been those working with the Court of Appeal. Duchan is one of six security officers employed by American Guard Services to provide security services at the Ronald Reagan State Building in downtown Los Angeles. Duchan and his colleagues rotate patrols among the floors and between the north and south towers. On dates when the Court of Appeal is in session, Duchan provides security screening and escorts justices to and from their chambers and the courtroom. He considers his work schedule highly desirable. He works Mondays through Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. While some of his colleagues have long commutes, Duchan has only a 15-to 20-minute commute.