Surprise RNC calm means quiet courtrooms

Cleveland's courtrooms were supposed to be busy this week as Republicans met to crown their presidential nominee, and protesters swarmed outside.

Judges reportedly cleared their dockets and Cleveland Municipal Court added judges and expanded its hours to 1 a.m., according to a Cleveland.com report.

But so far this week, they've been left with little to do.

"Very little activity," is how municipal court spokesman Ed Ferenc termed it on Tuesday.

Evening dockets on Monday and Tuesday were canceled. On Wednesday, court was in session in the morning but the dockets for early and late afternoon were canceled, Ferenc said.

Despite numerous demonstrations and marches, there have been only a handful of arrests so far, including three people arrested for hanging an anti-Donald Trump flag outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 17 arrested after officers broke up a flag-burning protest. That clash, which police say started when a flag burner accidentally lit himself on fire, turned chaotic as a total of 17 people were arrested and two officers suffered minor injuries.

There will likely be a few more protesters in court in the coming days from that scuffle.

But for a convention that was expected to be wracked with demonstrations, the courtrooms tell the tale so far: It's quieter than expected.

Trevor Hughes of USA TODAY contributed