The reason it is called a dock is because, when you enter a courtroom they are using admirality law against you (the law of the sea) you your self are the vessel and your position as a defendant is called the dock.
Why Is The Dock Called A Dock In Court?
A dock in court refers to an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial. For example; the accused stood in the dock during the entire proceeding. The expression here uses the word dock in the sense of an enclosed space especially for a defendant in a court of law. This usage of the word in such a way dates back to the late 1500s when this was the practice in England, and is used even today in most of the English speaking world.
Nowadays, it is used more as an idiom or an expression; in the dock. It shows that the person is in some sort of legal trouble or even to show that something is being cross examined in detail, though not necessarily from a legal point of view.
Examples:
Now Pluto is in the dock over planetary status. This as a headline in a popular newspaper indicates that there is a debate on in the scientific community over the future designation of Pluto. It is in no way a legal matter for the courts nor is Pluto a defendant itself.
Nowadays, it is used more as an idiom or an expression; in the dock. It shows that the person is in some sort of legal trouble or even to show that something is being cross examined in detail, though not necessarily from a legal point of view.
Examples:
Now Pluto is in the dock over planetary status. This as a headline in a popular newspaper indicates that there is a debate on in the scientific community over the future designation of Pluto. It is in no way a legal matter for the courts nor is Pluto a defendant itself.