June 18, 2010

Court Relocation Committee Provides Status Report

The Court Relocation Committee has provided a preliminary draft report to Chief Justice for Administration & Management Robert A. Mulligan, based on its review of all 103 courthouse facilities. The Committee is using access to justice as a guiding principle and recommends that the criteria to be considered in making final decisions include personnel, building facilities and functions, leases, and geography/transportation.

The CJAM will discuss the Committee's recommendations with the departmental Chief Justices and narrow the number of possible relocation sites, based on fiscal and operational factors. The CJAM will meet with the Committee to identify sites and a process to seek public comment. The Trial Court has the resources to relocate approximately six courthouses in a year.

Timeframes for relocation decisions will be determined by the Trial Court FY11 budget approved by the Legislature. The funding level will impact court staffing and operations, including the number of court sites that can be maintained.

The Trial Court continues to reduce leased space and, since late 2008, has cut the amount of leased space at Center Plaza by 30 percent. Since March, the Administrative Office of the Probate and Family Court moved from Center Plaza to the John Adams Courthouse and the Administrative Office of the District Court moved from Center Plaza to the Edward Brooke Courthouse. In Norfolk County, the planning process is underway to move the Law Library from private leased space to join the Grand Jury which recently moved to publicly-owned space.

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)

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