 Courtroom Moves Down the Hall
November 14, 2008 by Laura Schuler, C-T
C-T Photos / Laura Schuler
 CAPTION: Associate Circuit Court Judge James P. Valbracht sits at his bench in the new associate circuit courtroom at the Livingston County courthouse. The new courtroom, which has been renovated, was formerly the Livingston County commissioners office. County officials decided to switch the location of the courtroom and the commissioners office to allow for better security and better seating in the associate circuit courtroom. Valbracht was scheduled to hold court in the new location today (Friday).
The Livingston County associate circuit Courtroom and the Livingston county commissioners office have switched places on the second floor of the county courthouse to allow for better security in the courtroom.
Eva Danner, Livingston County presiding commissioner, said Thursday that the sole exit in the former courtroom, has been a safety concern for awhile. “There was no good way to evacuate the room if there was an altercation or skirmish,” Danner said.
In 2002, Buddy Weller, the circuit marshal for the 43rd Judicial District, conducted a security assessment of the courthouse, and recommended switching the rooms. In his recommendation, Weller also noted that moving the courtroom into the county commissioners’ office would allow a larger area for individuals waiting for their cases to sit. Weller advised that the switch would allow the bailiff to better observe the crowd. The new courtroom now has three exits — two to the lobby and another to the county clerk’s office.
The installation of the courthouse’s relatively new phone system over recent years allowed the switch to be made, Danner said. “It would have been very difficult to have done this without our new phone system, because now we have good communication with the clerk’s office, which is where our records are,” she said. (The former commissioners office was just east of the county clerk’s office).
In making the switch, Danner said a lot of work has been done to both rooms to make them suitable for their new purposes. In the new home of the commissioners office, the partition wall on the west side of the room has been demolished and the platform which formerly held the judge’s bench and witness stand has been removed. The demolition of the partition wall revealed a large window which had been covered to prevent excess noise in the courtroom. Then, Danner said, the court office’s computers had to be rewired, phone lines were moved, new carpet was installed in both rooms and the walls of the new commissioners office were painted. Danner said the court staff and the commissioners have rearranged and switched furniture to suit their needs. “I can tell you the best advantage to (the commissioners) is that we now have desks,” Danner said.
In the old commissioners office, all three commissioners sat behind a long bench along the north side of the room. “That bench, as we understood it, came from the courtroom in the old Federal building (now the Livingston County Library). Danner said the bench will now be used by James P. Valbracht, associate circuit court judge. A witness stand for the courtroom, Danner added, has yet to be constructed. For now, witnesses will use a chair on the room’s east side.
Valbracht said he likes the switch and said it has been a long time in coming. “I think this is something that has needed to be done for a long time, and we’ve worked hard on it,” he said. The judge noted that some funding (at least $5,000) has been received from the 43rd circuit court services to help pay for the relocation of
the offices.  A final tally of the office move expense has not yet been determined. “We’ve had great cooperation
between the associate circuit court and the commissioners,” Valbracht said.
Court was scheduled to be held in its new location today (Friday). Danner said the commissioners moved into their new room on last week and have been working while finishing touches on the room have been made.
CAPTION: Commissioner Ken Lauhoff (left) and Presiding Commissioner Eva Danner (back) work in their new office, the former home of the associate circuit courtroom. Danner said the courthouse's new phone system made the move possible because the commissioners are able to communicate easily with the clerk's office, which is where the commissioner's records are kept. |
