After a legal battle over sightlines, the county and state will split the $15,000 cost to change the courtroom's layout.
A legal battle over sightlines has been settled -- Warren County and state will split costs to rearrange a courtroom that had been deemed unconstitutional.
After Courtroom 2 was completed in a $6 million Warren County Court House renovation, it was determined to be unfit for jury trials because a load-bearing pillar blocked views between the jury box, defense table and witness stand. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)Courtroom 2 was part of a $6 million renovation to the Warren County Court House completed in 2011. Shortly after its completion, a defense attorney argued, and a judge later agreed, that the layout made it ineffective for trials: A pillar blocked views between the defense table, jury box and witness stand.
"This courtroom is just poorly conceived from a trial standpoint," Judge Ann R. Bartlett ruled in 2012. "The result is a courtroom that ... is constitutionally defective."
The county sued the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts in January 2014, saying the state should contribute financially to any alterations. The county estimated fixes could cost up to $1 million.
This week, a settlement was reached that will reorganize the courtroom's layout, splitting the $15,000 cost down the middle between the county and the state.
The jury box will be moved, the defense and prosecution's tables will be arranged at 90-degree angles to each other rather than a straight line, and the judge's dais will be lowered to clear the line of sight to the witness stand, Freeholder Director Ed Smith said.
"I think that we got a good practical solution," he said.
The $1 million the county cited in its lawsuit estimated the cost if the load-bearing pillar had to be removed, Smith said. The lawsuit has been withdrawn under the settlement.
The rearrangement could be done early next year, Smith said, rolling it in with other courthouse improvements that are planned.
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Courtroom 2 has been used since 2012 for civil cases that don't require juries. But having it available for criminal trials will allow for restoration of the facility's other criminal courtroom, Smith said -- the cavernous Courtroom 1 has paint peeling and plaster crumbling from the walls and ceiling.
The changes will also allow Courtroom 2 to address courthouse security concerns, like it was meant to do.
Sheriff's officers routinely must clear the second-floor hallway when moving prisoners or juries. Courtroom 2 will eliminate that need, allowing prisoners to be transported via an elevator and juries direct access to the deliberation room.
"That should ease the inconvenience that people encounter when we have to clear the hallway when we move an inmate," Sheriff David Gallant said Friday. "I'd rather not expose the inmates to the civilian population."
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
