Middlesex court move could affect jury diversity
If you get called for jury duty, expect to head to Woburn - not East Cambridge.
The Middlesex County Superior Court moved to a newly built 140,000-square-foot, seven-story building at 200 TradeCenter in Woburn Friday as the courthouse in East Cambridge undergoes major renovations.
The courthouse relocation could raise questions about whether the courts can still attract a diverse jury pool. Although the new location boasts a parking lot with 500 free spaces for courthouse visitors, residents who live in urban areas and don't own a car could find it difficult to travel to the facility.
"I think that's an issue that will be raised a number of times along the way," said Middlesex Clerk of Courts Michael Sullivan.
Sullivan said he has been unsuccessfully requesting a shuttle service between the Alewife T station and the new Woburn facility since the move was announced.
A press release from Robert Mulligan, chief justice for administration and management and the official overseeing the relocation, said the MBTA added a stop on Sylvan Road in front of the TradeCenter on the 134 bus route, but there still seems to be some confusion surrounding public transportation to the courts.
Sullivan's staff reported a bus driver on the route recently told passengers the bus would no longer stop at the temporary court facility, and the MBTA's Web site states there is no public transportation within a one-mile walk of the new facility.
Last week's relocation comes as the 22-story Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse at 40 Thorndike St. is undergoing a major renovation, which includes asbestos cleanup, building and security upgrades, and replacement of the courthouse's aging elevators.
Court officials have leased the new Woburn facility for five years. The renovations could take up to six years.
The district attorney's central office is also relocating to 15 Commonwealth Ave. in Woburn, a site near the temporary courthouse, beginning March 28. (The district attorney's office has regional offices located in Lowell and Framingham.)
It's unclear where the district attorney's central office will be after the renovation, according to Corey Welford, a spokesperson for the DA's office.
Long-term plans for the court building include a massive renovation of the Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse into a new "Justice Center," but once the renovations are complete, the district attorney's office won't be moving back to the Thorndike Street building.
"Quite simply, we were told that the Middlesex District Attorney's office had to leave 40 Thorndike St. and that we were not invited back to be part of the new 'Justice Center,'" District Attorney Gerry Leone wrote in a letter to city councilors.
Leone wrote he was sad to leave the Cambridge offices, but hoped to continue to work with local officials.
Some DA staff members will continue working in Cambridge at 47 Thorndike St., which is across the street from the courthouse, during the renovation project.
"We thought it was important to maintain a presence in Cambridge," said Welford.
The Middlesex Law Library is expected to be the last office to relocate to the Woburn facility this spring. Court officials have not decided yet where to move the Cambridge District Court.
In total, more than 180 employees are expected to move to the newly built Woburn facility, which includes 15 courtrooms, 15 jury deliberation rooms, 22 holding cells with separate areas for men and women and record storage space. According to the district attorney's office, Middlesex County, which consists of 54 cities and towns, is the largest counties in the state and one of the largest in the country, and. Its team of attorneys and staff prosecute more than 40,000 district court and 1,000 superior court cases and investigate an average of 30 homicides per year.