The law courts of ancient Athens (4th and 6th centuries BC) were a fundamental organ of democratic governance.
The Athenian jurors were chosen randomly by lot, which meant that juries would consist, in theory, of a wide range of members from different social classes.
This was meant to make the system much fairer to the poorer members of society, who had previously been excluded in favor of the elitist aristocrats.
This gave the precedent that there was lots of room to attack others character using extreme means in order for individuals to get their points across.
They originated from the Council of the elite and wealthy who were in charge and ended up being open to any free male who was in the army.
This is what gave the courts such a specific and personal feel, since a large group of people were allowed to exercise democratic voting rights.
The courts were around the Agora sometimes and other times, like in a serious case against an official still in office, they were held on the Pnyx which was an open area on a hill.
The courts were very large as there were many members of the jury so finding a single building to hold everyone was sometimes difficult.
[8] Athens at the beginning of its existence was ruled by a king and a very small group of people called Archons.
Slowly things began to change as the group which was in power widened, included more people, and they did not serve for a lifetime.
Things radically changed when Draco implemented his reforms which made it so that any male who could afford full armor could participate in politics.
This greatly changed the court as now “common men” could serve on it and could bring forth a case if their rights had been violated.
There was further turmoil, however, as people tried to seize power until Cleisthenes made ten tribes where each would send fifty members to the council.
[13]In court, speakers were restricted only by the allotted time and their own discretion in selecting arguments they felt would best influence the jury.
[18] Dracon felt that people guilty of small infractions of the law deserved the death penalty.
[19] There also came about a distinction of Athenians from all others with his reforms as, “murdering a non-Athenian, for instance, incurred a lesser penalty.”[20] These laws did not last long, not because they led to the rebellion of the people outraged over them, but because of the gap between rich and poor.