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Growing bad blood in families means more York County judges – and more courtrooms

Doors leading to a newly-built fifth-floor courtroom can be seen at center, during a tour of the recently finished fifth floor of the York County Judicial Center on Wednesday, June 24, 2015. When the seven-story judicial center was finished in 2004, the fifth floor was purposely left vacant to allow for additional courtrooms and chambers to be built at a later time. President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh said it was anticipated that those facilities would be needed to accommodate increased caseloads by 2015. The completed fifth floor, which was estimated to be a $7.1 million project but came out about $6.9 million, has eight smaller, non-jury courtrooms, multi-purpose rooms and two judges' chambers. Chris Dunn — Daily Record/Sunday News
The buildout of the fifth floor at the York County Judicial Center, seen across the North George Street atrium, reflects what’s going with family structure in the county. Some of the fifth-floor courtrooms will open in July to accommodate escalating county court business. “When I took the bench in 1998, there were one and a half judges handling juvenile and family court,” President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh told the York, Pa., Daily Record/Sunday News. ‘Now, we have seven to eight judges in juvenile and family court.’  Also of interest: Is the Judicial Center York County’s fourth – or fifth – courthouse?

 

Check out two more photos of the fifth floor below, part of a YDR photo gallery on the additions this fourth courthouse to stand in York County.

York County President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh discusses the difference in size between several of the newly-built courtrooms during a tour of the recently finished fifth floor of the York County Judicial Center on Wednesday, June 24, 2015. When the seven-story judicial center was finished in 2004, the fifth floor was purposely left vacant to allow for additional courtrooms and chambers to be built at a later time. President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh said it was anticipated that those facilities would be needed to accommodate increased caseloads by 2015. The completed fifth floor, which was estimated to be a $7.1 million project but came out about $6.9 million, has eight smaller, non-jury courtrooms, multi-purpose rooms and two judges' chambers. Chris Dunn — Daily Record/Sunday News
Judge Linebaugh said some family court matters are held in small hearing rooms elsewhere in the judicial center. The courtrooms on the fifth floor, among other things, will ensure safety of the judges. Participants would be in close proximity to judges. “In Orphan’s Court, there is a lot of emotion among family members,” Linebaugh told the YDR. “If they got along, they wouldn’t be there.” Also of interest: York County Courthouse, now Judicial Center. What do you call it?

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A holding cell is shown during a tour of the recently finished fifth floor of the York County Judicial Center on Wednesday, June 24, 2015. When the seven-story judicial center was finished in 2004, the fifth floor was purposely left vacant to allow for additional courtrooms and chambers to be built at a later time. President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh said it was anticipated that those facilities would be needed to accommodate increased caseloads by 2015. The completed fifth floor, which was estimated to be a $7.1 million project but came out about $6.9 million, has eight smaller, non-jury courtrooms, multi-purpose rooms and two judges' chambers. Chris Dunn — Daily Record/Sunday News
This is just interesting. Clearly, this construction is utilitarian. This is a holding cell for those in custody on the fifth floor. For more photos, check out: Tour the fifth floor. Also of interest: Is the Judicial Center York City’s tallest building?