Basically I’d like to know if myself or anyone with no particular business with the court can sit in the back of the room all day and not be bothered. I know it’s doubtfully entertaining but I’m just a tad curious. Thanks.
BTW, I’m talking American courts.
Sure. I’ve done it myself and it’s a real hoot.
There are some exceptions though. For instance it’s common for things involving minors to be in a closed court, at least part of the time.
The courts, for the most part, are open to the public. We tend to frown upon secret trials in the US judicial system.
You can even get tickets to go see oral arguments at the Supreme Court.
Indeed you can and it can be anywhere from dreadfully boring to a total hoot. You can’t just come and go as you please though. You can only enter and leave during breaks but those are frequent.
Haj
We did it once at state criminal court and once at Federal court for my old job, to observe how interpreters are used differently. In Federal court, in particular, there were definitely “court groupies,” usually retired people who found it much more entertaining to watch it live than on TV. Some of them saw us in the elevator shuttling between hearings and asked if we were “going to watch the girlie trial” [a prostitution sting].
It takes all kinds. The racketeering trial was pretty packed, but most run-of-the-mill cases have nobody there except the parties involved, and sometimes a few witnesses who are done testifying or family members.
John Waters in his book “Shock Value” has an entertaining chapter on his own experiences as a trial groupie.
you can do it in australia too, i went to college just near the criminal court in darlinghurst. When it was really hot or we had a particularly long lunch break we would go watch the case after eating, a lot were really boring, some were kind of scary as we got glares from the defendants on trial for rape and murder, and one of their friends who was a witness came and sat down right behind us, not fun.
Others were very interesting, i saw parts of about 3 murder trials, and surprisingly these were generally the most boring, cause there was just a lot of back nad forthe about shoes and time of day.
small crimes were pretty interesting because they were quick, especially people arguing traffic offenses, i heard very excuse in the book.
Zaphod
OK, nobody’s said it yet so I will: You can sit all day except when the judge walks in and the bailiff says “All rise”. Then you can sit down again. 
Probably. Around here, at least. I had to go to court for a traffic ticket and no one was checking to be sure you belonged there or anything. It was actually pretty interesting, since it was a county courtroom and they handled the criminal stuff before us traffic peons, though I think they were just entering pleas and stuff. We got to hear the judge put the verbal smack down on some people who got too mouthy with him. And then there was the guy who told the judge one story, told a different story when the judge swore in the officer, and told a third when the judge questioned him on the different stories. That was interesting.
It will depend on the type of court. As was pointed out earlier, many juvenile and domestic relations hearings are closed to the public. Here in VA, General District Court (moving violaitons, other “minor” stuff), the courts are open and you can come in, sit down, watch, leave, come back, see all that you want. Circuit Courts handle appeals from GD court and felonies. These are also open to the public.