Courthouse Closing / Relocation Hearings and Information

Rep. Bradley speaking against closing Hingham District Court during August 12th hearing at Brockton Court.

Rep. Bradley is providing the following information for anyone who is concerned and interested in the potential closing and/or relocation of the Hingham District Court.  Members of the public are encouraged to attend public hearings and voice their concerns over the impact such an action might have on the community.

Hingham Journal: Hingham District Court to remain open

Hingham Journal Article explores how closing court affects victims of domestic abuse  

The Court Relocation Committee recommendations are attached for your convenience.

August 10, 2010

Court Relocation Meetings Continue

The Trial Court Relocation Committee will hold public meetings this week and next week to hear public comments on its recommendations for possible court consolidation.

Relocations are an important component of the Trial Court's efforts to manage expenses and staffing shortages, as it works to address a significant budget deficit for FY11.  The Trial Court established the Committee in February to review all 103 courthouse locations.

Additional public meetings are scheduled as follows.  Comments on recommendations for any county will be heard at the meetings which all are scheduled for 5-7 p.m.

• August 11th at the Brooke Courthouse in Boston to focus on Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk Counties

• August 12th at the Covett Courthouse in Brockton to focus on Bristol and Norfolk Counties

• August 18th at the Plymouth Trial Court to focus on Plymouth County.

The criteria established by the Committee to identify potential sites for relocation and consolidation include lease terms and expenses, personnel impact and staffing levels, the condition of facilities, building functions, caseload, geography and transportation issues, as well as access to justice.  The Trial Court will make decisions on the temporary relocation of court operations.  The permanent closure of courthouses requires action by the Legislature.

The Court Relocation Committee, co-chaired by District Court Chief Justice Lynda M. Connolly and Housing Court Chief Justice Steven D. Pierce, was convened by Chief Justice Mulligan in February and includes the following members:

Anthony M. Doniger, Esq., Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen / Boston (Access to Justice Commission Member); Douglas Martin, Esq., Law Offices of Douglas Martin / Malden (Mass. Bar Association Representative); Elizabeth Pattullo, Beacon Health Strategies (Court Management Advisory Board Member); John J. Regan, Esq., WilmerHale / Boston  (President, Boston Bar Association); Edward P. Ryan, Jr., O’Connor and Ryan / Fitchburg  (Former President, Mass. Bar Association).

July 30, 2010

Court Relocation Committee Updates Recommendations for Upcoming Public Meetings

The Trial Court Relocation Committee has issued the following update of its recommendations in advance of next week’s public meeting in Worcester.  The recommendations listed below include the sites which the Committee has proposed to receive the court business of the courts proposed for relocation.

The first public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 4^th at 5 p.m. at the Worcester Trial Court and will focus on seeking comment from members of the public on the Committee’s recommendations for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester Counties

The Committee welcomes comments from the Trial Court community.  In order to ensure adequate time for members of the public from the impacted communities to be heard, the Committee has established an email address and urges Trial Court employees to submit written comments at: crc@jud.state.ma.us

The Committee will encourage attendees at all of the public meetings to submit written comments.  The additional meetings are scheduled for August 11^th in Boston, August 12^th in Brockton and August 18^th in Plymouth.

Court Relocation Committee Recommendations

AOTC

·         Continue to relocate departments to other facilities, including John Adams Courthouse

Berkshire County

·     Berkshire Juvenile Court in North Adams to Northern Berkshire District Court

Bristol County

·         Series of changes to accommodate lease cancellation for SE Housing Court in New  Bedford

[New Taunton Courthouse opening in 2011 may allow better configuration of operations for several court departments in Bristol County]

Essex County

·         Gloucester District Court to the Salem District Court

Franklin/Hampshire Counties

·         Discontinue lease for Northampton Superior Court ceremonial courtroom & storage space;  Housing Court ancillary space

Hampden County

·         Discontinue lease for Appeals Court administrative office space in Springfield

Middlesex County

·         Framingham Juvenile Court to Marlborough District Court

·         Marlborough District Court to Concord District Court and/or Ayer District Court

Norfolk County

·         Norfolk Superior Court Probation and Norfolk County Law Library to Registry of Deeds building

·         Norfolk Juvenile Court in Dedham to Stoughton District Court

Stoughton District Court business to Dedham District Court & Wrentham District Court

Plymouth County

·     Hingham District Court to Brockton District Court

·         Wareham District Court to Plymouth District Court

Suffolk County

·         Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court to the Brooke Courthouse;

      Use Charlestown courthouse for Superior Court civil cases and other needs

·         Land Court Department to Suffolk County Courthouse / 3 Pemberton Square

Worcester County

·         Leominster District Court business to Clinton DC and/or Fitchburg DC and/or Worcester DC

·         Westborough District Court to the Worcester District Court

 

The Court Relocation Committee or another Task Force appointed by the Chief Justice for Administration & Management should explore the feasibility of consolidations across county lines.