Courtrooms typically provide settings for drama. It is in courtrooms the worst and best of us as human beings usually evolve under great pressure in a very public arena.

Sometimes, despite the control of the judge or the number of law enforcement officers in the room, emotions get the better of people and they act out.

From reports in Goodwater, it appears a man became overwhelmed by a guilty verdict on a harassment charge. He took a swing at a judge, who pulled a gun. After the judge pulled the gun, a police officer shot and wounded the judge’s attacker.

Are these the actual events? Some eyewitnesses and some say no.

Here’s the lesson learned from the shooting in Goodwater: For the most part, our judges and courtrooms are safe.

About two weeks ago, a bond hearing involving one of the Selma Police Department’s cases, a murder, resulted in a ruckus in the adjoining halls of the district court. Law enforcement officers rushed in and quelled the melee before anyone was injured.

Generally, courtrooms are safe places. Many of us walk through the metal detectors or by law enforcement officers waving wands designed to show a light or chirp if the subject given a wave has metal or something odd.

These outbursts are rare. But they occur, and the public should be aware there’s always that possibility at any public gathering.