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53-418: A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse . In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual technology to permit everyone present to clearly hear testimony and see exhibits. Irish legal tradition is inherited from English tradition and so an Irish courtroom has

106-605: A United States post office as well as court facilities for the District of New Jersey . Some branches of U.S. federal government courts are housed in rented office space in buildings housing commercial tenants; for instance, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware is located in an office building in Wilmington, Delaware , across the street from the main courthouse of

159-408: A class of transparent armor incorporating aluminum oxynitride (ALON) as the outside "strike plate" layer. Traditional glass/polymer was demonstrated by ALON's manufacturer to require 2.3 times more thickness than ALON's, to guard against a .50 BMG projectile. ALON is much lighter and performs much better than traditional glass/polymer laminates. Aluminum oxynitride "glass" can defeat threats like

212-543: A completely different continent. These characteristics include the materiality in terms of large stone construction, the repetitive rhythmic use of windows containing various sized arches and barrel vaults directing attention towards them, decorated spandrels (wall section connecting arches) and the inclusion of gabled walls (pointed sections). Old City Hall has been designated a National Historical Site since 1989. Bulletproof glass Bulletproof glass , ballistic glass , transparent armor , or bullet-resistant glass

265-527: A conservative estimate of its resistance. When projectiles do not penetrate, the depth of the dent left by the impact can be measured and related to the projectile’s velocity and thickness of the material. Some researchers have developed mathematical models based on results of this kind of testing to help them design bulletproof glass to resist specific anticipated threats. The properties of bullet-resistant glass can be affected by temperature and by exposure to solvents or UV radiation , usually from sunlight. If

318-600: A federally owned building that houses courtrooms, chambers and clerk's offices. Many federal judicial districts are further split into divisions, which may also have their own courthouses. However, sometimes divisional court facilities are located in buildings that also house other agencies or offices of the United States government; for instance, the Mitchell H. Cohen United States Courthouse in Camden, New Jersey houses

371-482: A modern appearance. Depending on the layout of the room, a claimant may sit on either the right or left in a civil court, just as the prosecution may sit on either side (usually the opposite side to the jury) in a criminal court. In British courtrooms, a witness testifies from a witness-box, rather than the American "witness stand". In a criminal court, where the defendant is held in custody prior to court appearance,

424-530: A similar setup to the English/Welsh model. The judge (or judges, in the Supreme Court and Special Criminal Court or some High Court cases) sits on a raised platform at the top of the court and wears a white collar (also called tabs ) and a black gown ; he/she does not wear a wig and does not use a gavel . The Irish national arms , a Celtic harp , is on the wall behind the judge, where

477-406: A soft coating that heals after being scratched (such as elastomeric carbon-based polymers) or a hard coating that prevents scratching (such as silicon-based polymers). The plastic in laminate designs also provides resistance to impact from physical assault from blunt and sharp objects. The plastic provides little in the way of bullet-resistance. The glass, which is much harder than plastic, flattens

530-415: Is a strong and optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to penetration by projectiles, although, like any other material, it is not completely impenetrable. It is usually made from a combination of two or more types of glass, one hard and one soft. The softer layer makes the glass more elastic, so that it can flex instead of shatter. The index of refraction for all of the glasses used in

583-483: Is commonly used in the English-speaking countries of North America. In most other English-speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply called "courts" or "court buildings". In most of continental Europe and former non-English-speaking European colonies, the equivalent term is a palace of justice (French: palais de justice, Italian: palazzo di giustizia, Portuguese: palácio da justiça). In

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636-450: Is constructed using layers of laminated glass . The more layers there are, the more protection the glass offers. When a weight reduction is needed, polycarbonate (a thermoplastic ) is laminated onto the safe side to stop spall . The aim is to make a material with the appearance and clarity of standard glass but with effective protection from small arms. Polycarbonate designs usually consist of products such as Armormax, Makroclear, Cyrolon:

689-647: Is equivalent to the city hall as the symbol of the municipium in European free cities . Courthouses are often shown in American cinema (i.e. " Peyton Place ", " Back to the Future ", and " My Cousin Vinny "). They range from small-town rural buildings with a few rooms to huge metropolitan courthouses that occupy large plots of land. The style of American architecture used varies, with common styles including federal , Greek Revival , neoclassicist , and modern . Due to

742-534: Is lead semi-wadcutter gas-check, and 30-06 is LEAD core soft point. Bullet-resistant materials are tested using a gun to fire a projectile from a set distance into the material, in a specific pattern. Levels of protection are based on the ability of the target to stop a specific type of projectile traveling at a specific speed. Experiments suggest that polycarbonate fails at lower velocities with regular shaped projectiles compared to irregular ones (like fragments), meaning that testing with regular shaped projectiles gives

795-415: Is marked off with a barrier, like the jury box and the witness stand. As late as the 1970s, some American courtrooms also had docks, but they gradually fell out of use. Defendants argued that they were prejudicial and interfered with the accused's right to counsel , since defense attorneys were traditionally seated at the table for defense counsel and were not normally allowed to sit next to the dock. There

848-402: Is neither a witness stand nor a jury box, and the bench is much larger to accommodate multiple judges or justices. The walls are often partially or completely wood-paneled. This is a matter of style and tradition, but some jurisdictions have elected to construct courtrooms with a more modern appearance. Some courtroom settings are little more than a closed-circuit television camera transmitting

901-678: Is placed above and behind the judge or presiding magistrates to symbolise the fact that trials in England and Wales are carried out in the name of The Crown . The only exceptions to this are in the City of London courts where the judge or magistrate sits below the arms of the City of London as well as the Crown, a historic anomaly. In England and Wales the Royal Coat of Arms is displayed prominently over

954-401: Is usually an open space between the bench and the counsel tables, because of the court clerk and court reporter's tables in front of the bench and the jury box on the side. This space is called the well . It is considered extremely disrespectful to the court for persons who are not court employees to directly "traverse the well" without permission—that is, to walk directly toward the bench across

1007-532: The Oklahoma City bombing , the federal government proceeded to heavily fortify all large federal buildings, including many urban courthouses. Some courthouses in areas with high levels of violent crime have redundant layers of security. For example, when the Supreme Court of California hears oral argument in San Francisco or Los Angeles, visitors must pass through one security checkpoint to enter

1060-466: The United States , most counties maintain trial courts in a county-based courthouse, which also house other county government offices. The courthouse may be a part of a wider county government building or complex. The courthouse is usually located in the county seat , although large metropolitan counties may have satellite or annex offices for their courts. In some cases, the building housing

1113-419: The royal arms would be in a British court. The court registrar sits in front of the judge and administers oaths and deals with paperwork. The solicitors are at the front of the registrar, and the jury (if it is a jury trial) sits in a box to one side. The accused sits at the other side with a prison officer. A judicial assistant does legal research for the judge; they also announce when the judge enters of leaves

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1166-613: The Crown. Like in England and Wales, in Scotland the Royal Coat of Arms is placed above and behind the judge or presiding sheriffs to symbolise the fact that trials are carried out in the name of The Crown . However, the Scottish version (unicorn on viewer's left, motto Nemo Me Impune Lacessit , etc.) is always used. The arms also appears prominently over the main external entrance to the courthouse. Courthouse The term

1219-743: The Los Angeles Superior Court added such checkpoints to all entrances to its main courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles after a woman was shot and killed by her ex-husband in open court in September 1995. The Supreme Court of California ruled in 2002 that Los Angeles County (which at the time was responsible for maintaining the courthouses) was not liable to her three children under the California Government Tort Claims Act. After

1272-447: The attorneys so that the jury and spectators cannot hear what is being discussed off-record. Multiple courtrooms may be housed in a courthouse . The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket . Courtrooms vary considerably in their layout, reflecting the history and development of the building. Some historic courtrooms remain in use and are generally wood-panelled; most newer courtrooms are not panelled and generally have

1325-460: The bar has come to refer to the legal profession as a whole (see bar association ). There is usually a podium or lectern between the two tables where the lawyers may stand when they argue their case before the judge. In the Commonwealth (and many other countries), a courtroom used for trials of criminal cases often has a dock: a space exclusively reserved for seating a criminal defendant. It

1378-660: The building, and another to enter the courtroom. In Canada , each municipality constructs its own courthouse, or several in the case of large cities. In smaller communities the court is in the same building as the city hall and other municipal offices. In the past many courthouses also included the local prison. One well-known court house in Canada is the Romanesque Revival (Neo-Romanesque) Old City Hall in Toronto , Ontario . Designed by E.J. Lennox , Old City Hall

1431-489: The bullet, and the plastic deforms, with the aim of absorbing the rest of the energy and preventing penetration. The ability of the polycarbonate layer to stop projectiles with varying energy is directly proportional to its thickness, and bulletproof glass of this design may be up to 3.5 inches thick. Laminated glass layers are built from glass sheets bonded together with polyvinyl butyral, polyurethane, Sentryglas, or ethylene-vinyl acetate. When treated with chemical processes,

1484-423: The bulletproof layers must be almost the same to keep the glass transparent and allow a clear, undistorted view through the glass. Bulletproof glass varies in thickness from 3 ⁄ 4 to 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (19 to 89 mm). Bulletproof glass is used in windows of buildings that require such security, such as jewelry stores and embassies, and of military and private vehicles. Bullet-resistant glass

1537-427: The courthouse also contains the main administrative office for the county government, or when a new courthouse is constructed, the former one will often be used for other local government offices. Either way, a typical courthouse will have one or more courtrooms and a court clerk's office with a filing window where litigants may submit documents for filing with the court. Each United States district court also has

1590-621: The courthouse may be named in some way or its function divided as between a judicial building and administrative office building. Philadelphia City Hall , for instance, serves as the seat of the legislative and executive functions of the consolidated city and county of Philadelphia , but most of its floor space is devoted to the Civil Division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas . The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania shares space with three local governments and with

1643-483: The courtroom (usually by saying ‘all rise’, or in Irish 'seasaigí' ). Witnesses give testimony in a witness box to one side of the judge. Barristers are seated facing the judge, and the public and press behind them. Barristers also wear black robes and a white collar, and may wear a wig if they wish. All proceedings are recorded by a Digital Audio Recording (DAR) box. Irish court cases are not televised; one exception

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1696-407: The courtroom. On one side is the judge's bench, the tables for the plaintiff, the defendant, and their respective counsel, and a separate group of seats known as the jury box where the jury sits. Apart from the parties to the case and any witnesses, only the lawyers can literally pass the bar (court personnel and jury members usually enter through separate doors), and this is the reason why the term

1749-401: The defendant will be escorted by the security firm that has the contract to serve that court. In rare circumstances in civil trials a bailiff or someone else charged to keep order may be present (for example if a tenant who is due to be evicted for violent behaviour or a defendant arrives in court drunk). Unless prevented by disability, advocates are expected to address the court standing up, from

1802-528: The district court. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California has a courthouse in Yosemite to hear misdemeanors and petty crimes for Yosemite National Park . Most of the United States courts of appeals are based in the main courthouses of the federal district court in the city in which they are seated. The courthouse is part of the iconography of American life and

1855-440: The footprint of the building. Secure entrance vestibules provide court staff the opportunity to screen visitors to the building for contraband, such as weapons and narcotics, as well as for unauthorized access. Mid size to larger courthouses often have separate entrances to the building for the public, prisoners, judges, and witnesses. These entrances may be monitored remotely from a central security station. In lower risk settings,

1908-438: The glass becomes much stronger. This design has been in regular use on combat vehicles since World War II. It is typically thick and is usually extremely heavy. 9mm 124gr @ 1175-1293fps (1400-1530fps for Level 6), 357M 158gr @ 1250-1375fps, 44M 240gr @ 1350-1485fps, 30-06 180gr @ 2540-2794fps, 5.56NATO 55gr @ 3080-3388fps, 7.62NATO 150gr @ 2750-3025fps. For all ratings in the above chart; all copper-jacketed lead FMJ, except 44 mg

1961-431: The jury) slightly raised and facing forward is the stand where any witness who is called will give evidence. The stand is designed so that any solicitor examining a witness as well as the judge/sheriff may get a good view of the testimony. At the far side of the courtroom directly opposite the jury box and behind the stand are seats for journalists who are attached to the court and the court social worker. Seats for members of

2014-1074: The legislative and executive branches of the state government of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia City Hall in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg , which it shares with the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Governor of Pennsylvania , and the Pittsburgh City-County Building in Pittsburgh , which it shares with the governments of the City of Pittsburgh and of Allegheny County . Many judges also officiate at civil marriage ceremonies in their courthouse chambers. In some places,

2067-461: The main external entrance to the courthouse. As in other countries, the judge or sheriff sits on the bench . Directly below the bench is the clerk's station which usually has a computer to allow the clerk to get on with Court Disposal work during proceedings. Directly in front of the clerk is the well of court which has a semi-circular table at which all the advocates sit during proceedings. The Procurator Fiscal or Advocate Depute always sits in

2120-465: The modalities involved in the hearing of complex cases, including civil, criminal, and family law disputes, the architecture of court buildings can present significant security challenges to enforcement officers. Architects typically use two main tools to mitigate security risks within the adjudicative space depending upon local needs, such as the proliferation of weapons: secure entrance vestibules and separation of circulation pathways and adjacencies within

2173-419: The only place the systems of circulation, including hallways, stairwells, and elevators overlap is within the monitored setting of the courtroom. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access to court materials by the public, such as court clerk record vaults, as well as the risk of in-custody defendants intimidating witnesses or jurors while being escorted through the public areas of the courthouse. For example,

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2226-428: The other side of the bar is the gallery , with benches and chairs for the general public. In some cases the gallery is separated from the rest of the room by bulletproof glass . All of the above applies only to trial courts. Appellate courts in the United States are not finders of fact, so they do not use juries or receive evidence into the record; that is the trial court's job. Therefore, in an appellate court, there

2279-521: The polycarbonate layer is below a glass layer, it has some protection from UV radiation due to the glass and bonding layer. Over time the polycarbonate becomes more brittle because it is an amorphous polymer (which is necessary for it to be transparent) that moves toward thermodynamic equilibrium. An impact on polycarbonate by a projectile at temperatures below −7 °C sometimes creates spall , pieces of polycarbonate that are broken off and become projectiles themselves. Experiments have demonstrated that

2332-557: The position where they were seated before addressing the court. Appellate courts may hear evidence (and also be finders of fact) as well as review legal argument. In such cases witness evidence may be necessary, and many appellate courts therefore have witness stands. Courtrooms for hearings of the Family court which consider matters such as custody of children and divorce are generally smaller and more informal in layout than those for criminal and civil proceedings. The Royal Coat of Arms

2385-403: The proceedings to a correctional facility elsewhere to protect the court from violent defendants who view the proceedings on television within a jail conference room and are allowed duplex communications with the judge and other officers of the court. Many courtrooms are equipped with a speaker system where the judge can toggle a switch to generate white noise during sidebar conversations with

2438-430: The public are the back of the courtroom. There is no court reporter in Scotland; normal summary cases are simply minuted by the clerk indicating the disposal. If the case is a solemn (more serious) case involving a jury or if the case has a sexual element then proceedings will be tape recorded which is done under the supervision of the clerk. A High Court Noter is also in attendance to record witness evidence on behalf of

2491-447: The seat at the right of the clerk during criminal proceedings. Behind the well of the court is the dock in which the accused will sit during proceedings. Dependent on the style of the courtroom, the jury box will either be on the right or left hand side of the well of the court. Scotland is unique in the western world in that it has 15 jurors. Usually to the right or left of the bench (again dependent on style and always directly opposite

2544-654: The security screening may be more perfunctory and serve as an information desk to direct visitors to the various agencies and offices housed within the court building. Once users of the court have entered the building through security screenings and access control checkpoints, the circulation systems of passageways through the building provide discrete pathways by which the public, court staff, and in-custody defendants access to courtrooms and other court services, such as attorneys, pretrial and probation services, and clerks' offices. The circulation pathways and adjacency diagrams designed for newer and larger courthouses often ensure that

2597-444: The size of the spall is related to the thickness of the laminate rather than the size of the projectile. The spall starts in surface flaws caused by bending of the inner, polycarbonate layer and the cracks move “backwards” through to the impact surface. It has been suggested that a second inner layer of polycarbonate may effectively resist penetration by the spall. In 2005, it was reported that U.S. military researchers were developing

2650-568: The stripes by his having seen such stripes worn by the character of the judge, in a local production of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operatic spoof of English jurisprudence, Trial by Jury .) Adjacent to the bench are the witness stand and the desks where the court clerk and the court reporter sit. The courtroom is divided into two parts by a barrier known as the bar . The bar may be an actual railing , or an imaginary barrier. The bailiff stands (or sits) against one wall and keeps order in

2703-407: The well—and some courts have rules expressly forbidding this for the safety of the judge. Instead, if documents need to be given to or taken from the judge, attorneys are normally expected to approach the court clerk or bailiff, who acts as an intermediary. During trials, attorneys will ask the court's permission to traverse the well or "approach the bench" for "sidebar" conferences with the judge. On

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2756-551: Was a 2017 broadcast of some Supreme Court decisions. The judge generally sits behind a raised desk, known as the bench . Behind the judge are the great seal of the jurisdiction and the flags of the appropriate federal and state governments. Judges usually wear a plain black robe (a requirement in many jurisdictions). An exception was the late U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist , who broke tradition by adorning his robe with four gold stripes on each sleeve. (Rehnquist reportedly said that he had been inspired to add

2809-640: Was completed in 1899 and has been functioning as a municipal building ever since. It was originally constructed to facilitate Toronto's City Council, legal and municipal offices and the city's courts however following the construction of the fourth city hall (adjacent to the third, on Queen Street) the building's purpose was limited to being solely a courthouse for the Ontario Court of Justice . The building can be described as Romanesque Revival due to multiple characteristics it shares with Romanesque architecture, despite being constructed seven centuries later in

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