Chapter 4: Courtrooms
Caseload projections based upon the district's long range
facility plan (other caseload measures such as raw or
weighted filings might also be considered);
The percentage of the total district caseload handled at the
location;
The ratio of courtrooms per active and senior judge (at
present the model assumes a ratio of one courtroom per
judge);
The number of years it will take for a new judgeship to be
approved by the Judicial Conference and Congress once
weighted filings reach the level that qualifies a court for an
additional new judgeship (a three-year time frame is
recommended);
The number of years before replacement judges will be on
board after a judge takes senior status (a two-year time frame
is recommended); and
The year the judges are expected to take senior status once
they become eligible (a court or council should assume a
judge will take senior status when eligible).
The planning assumptions described above are subject to modification
by courts in consultation with the respective judicial council.
Design Requirements
General Design Elements
Windows. If a courtroom is designed with windows, precautions are necessary to
maintain security and environmental controls. A courtroom may have windows
(regular or clerestory) or skylights to obtain the benefits of daylight.
Windows and skylights must be sealed, double- or triple-glazed, and equipped to
control heat gain/loss, brightness, glare, noise, and dust infiltration. A means of
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