HURRICANE HARVEY IMPACTS ON JUSTICE Judge David D. Farr 312 th Judicial District Court Administrative Judge, Family Trial Division
Civil Courthouse Juvenile Justice Center Jury Assembly Family Law Center Criminal Justice Center
Civil Courthouse Juvenile Justice Center Jury Assembly Family Law Center Criminal Justice Center Criminal Courthouse inoperable for approximately 12 months.
Civil Courthouse Juvenile Justice Center Jury Assembly Family Law Center Criminal Justice Center Juvenile Justice Center damage primarily due to A/C compressor flooding on the 6 th and 7 th floors. Anticipated repairs for 2-4 months.
Civil Courthouse Juvenile Justice Center Jury Assembly Family Law Center Criminal Justice Center Family Law Center no damage and open for business. Previously top two floors were closed due to sprinkler restrictions. Now open.
Civil Courthouse Juvenile Justice Center Jury Assembly Family Law Center Criminal Justice Center Civil Courthouse at 201 Caroline open for business with minimal damage in the basement which has been repaired.
Civil Courthouse Juvenile Justice Center Jury Assembly Criminal Justice Center Family Law Center Jury Assembly Building under discussion.
Civil Courthouse Juvenile Justice Center 24 Civil Courts 10 Family Courts 4 Probate Courts 4 County Civil Cts 3 Juvenile Crts 280 th F/V Crt 4 IV-D Admin Courts Family Law Center 22 Dist. Crim Cts 16 Cnty Crim Cts HCDA OCA Criminal Justice Center
Unintended Circumstances Dynamics of Sharing Busy Docket Courts (Civil & Criminal; Family and Criminal) Mandatory movement of non-flood affected courts (i.e. IV-D courts) Elevators!!!!!!!!!!! Arghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! Metal Detectors Jury Trial requirements for jail inmate criminal trials (no inmates in 201 Caroline) Absolute stressing of Harris County Sheriff's Office (transportation of inmates & bailiff support) Scrounging for courtroom trial space
6 high bank elevators in the Civil Building, according to the contractor it would take longer (due to programming) to bring them up individually than having them all come back into service as a unit. These three elevators are targeted to be back on line in mid- November 2017 Then elevator # s 6, 7, and 8 will be brought off line, repaired and placed back into service individually. Estimated completion of these is yet to be determined.
Courtroom Sharing in the Civil Courthouse 6th floor 174th (Jones) sharing with Probate Court #2;... 7th floor 338th (Franklin) sharing with Probate Court #4; 8th floor NO sharing of courtrooms; 9th floor 176th (Harmon) & 232nd (Guinney) & 178th (Johnson) & 180th (Evans); 10th floor 208th (Collins) & 209th (McSpadden) & 183rd (Velasquez) & 184th (Krocker); 11th floor 263rd (Wallace) & 228th (Carter) & 337th (Richie) & 179th (Roll); 12th floor 248th (Cabiness) & 185th (Brown) & 230rd (Hart) & 262nd (Bradley); 15th floor - 339th (Jackson) sharing with the 245th Family District Court; 16th floor 177th (Johnson) sharing with the 246th Family District Court; 1st floor of the Juvenile Justice Center (formerly 280th District Court courtroom) -182nd (Barr) & 351st (Powell). Courtroom Sharing in the Family Law Center 2nd floor IV-D Courts 2 (Torres) and 3 (Pierce) & 4 CCCL courts; 3rd floor IV-D Courts 1 (Wettman) and 4 (Longoria) & 4 CCCL courts; 4th floor 6 CCCL courts; 5th floor 1 CCCL court; & ¾ shared trial courtroom for criminal courts; 6th floor RIC & 2 shared trial courtrooms for criminal courtand the CPS Impact Court in the former 311th District Court; 7th floor - 2 shared trial courtrooms for criminal courts
Flex trial courtrooms on the 6 th and 7 th floors to be reserved as necessary
beginning effective October 4, 2017 for the duration of the sharing time period: 245th District Court (Moore) 10:00 a.m. ancillary docket call 246th District Court (Prine) 8:30 a.m. ancillary docket and 8:30 a.m. trial docket call to be noticed by scheduling order (but no changes unless specifically renoticed) 247th District Court (Schmude) 9:30 a.m. ancillary docket call 257th District Court (Warne) - 8:30 a.m. ancillary docket and 1:30 p.m. trial docket call to be noticed by scheduling order (but no changes unless specifically renoticed) 308th District Court (Lombardino) - 9:00 a.m. ancillary docket call 309th District Court (Dean) - 10:30 a.m. ancillary docket and 10:30 a.m. trial docket call to be noticed by scheduling order (but no changes unless specifically renoticed) 310th District Court (Millard) - 10:00 a.m. ancillary docket call 311th District Court (Franklin-York) - 9:00 a.m. ancillary docket call 312th District Court (Farr) - 1:30 p.m. ancillary docket and 1:30 p.m. trial docket call to be noticed by scheduling order (but no changes unless specifically renoticed) 507th District Court (Maldonado) 1:00 p.m. ancillary docket and 1:00 p.m. trial docket call to be noticed by scheduling order (but no changes unless specifically renoticed).
Management of a pool of flex or spare courtrooms (Tax Court; Ceremonial Courtroom, etc.) is currently being worked for long term usage; The Juvenile District Courts (including their Associate Judges) are stacked in the operational areas of the Juvenile Justice Center (upper floors) until repairs are concluded; the court coordinator and the court reporter staff of the 280th District Court is officed with the 257 th District Court and the court clerk is currently in the courtroom on the 7th floor of the Juvenile Justice Center; the 257th District Court is presiding over the 280th District Court District Attorney protective order cases until further notice; any privately filed protective order will still be pending in the 280th District Court for jurisdictional purposes but will be either attracted to a family district court with an associated SAPCR/Divorce action pending in that court or randomly assigned by the Administrative Judge David Farr to a family district judge who will be sitting for the 280th District Court on that case with the sole exception of privately filed AVDA protective orders which will be heard in the 312th District Court; jury trials WILL recommence in a limited fashion on October 16, 2017 with the grand juries and the criminal courts having priority on jury panels through the end of October 2017 Current location for Jury Summons is the first floor of the Former Jury Assembly Building (current Harris County Law Library)
Discussion