Vol. 37, Number 4—April 2005

Design Guide Under Review

A group of judges and court executives convened last month in Washington to consider revisions to the publication that sets space standards for construction and alteration of federal courthouses. The meeting was one in a series of meetings that will culminate in recommendations to the Judicial Conference. The U.S. Courts Design Guide, which was last reviewed in 1997, is being re-evaluated with an eye toward controlling costs and examining existing space standards.

Participating in the two-day session were liaison judges from other Judicial Conference committees, and representatives of circuit executives; appellate, district and bankruptcy court clerks; probation and pretrial services officers; staff attorneys; circuit librarians; and federal public defenders, who discussed their efforts and ideas to make best use of space. For example, in one courthouse, the district court has integrated work stations for staff with a few private offices, while the bankruptcy unit has mainly private offices. The work stations are attractive because they are easy and less expensive to construct and move. Private offices, however, offer the confidentiality needed to conduct court business and administrative functions.