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Shorter in the court

In Pasco County's new courthouse, judges don't exactly tower over their courtrooms, undercutting the expected aura of authority.

By JAMAL THALJI
Published January 22, 2007

The law may be majestic, but at the West Pasco Judicial Center, judges look up at other courtroom players. Here, Circuit Judge Joe Bulone listens to arguments from lawyers appearing before (and a little above) him.
	[Times photo: Brendan Fitterer]

ADVERTISEMENT [Twentieth Century Fox] Judge Chamberlain Haller, played by Fred Gwynne, maintains an air of judicial authority while towering over Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny.

NEW PORT RICHEY - All rise.

And we do, all eyes looking up as the judge enters the courtroom.

Ever wonder why the black robe comes with the best - and highest - seat in the house? The courts of English kings sat above those in judgment. But when our judges sit up there, it's for another reason.

"We recognize the majesty of the law," said Florida Supreme Court historian Canter Brown Jr., "and the judge symbolizes the majesty of the law."

That's why judges command the courtroom from on high. That's why they see who's asleep in back. That's why the Alabama judge played by Fred Gwynne - you know, Herman Munster - always looked down at Joe Pesci's Brooklyn lawyer in My Cousin Vinny.

But leave it to Pasco County to squeeze a little majesty out of the law.

About 6 inches' worth.

The judges' benches in the new $20-million West Pasco Judicial Center expansion came out too short.

"You're used to people looking up at the judge," said an amused Pasco County Judge Paul Firmani. "Now some people are looking down on the judge.

"It kind of takes away from the air of judicial authority."

* * *

In the old courthouse, the judges' desks - their work space - was 48 inches from the floor.

Now their desks are 42 inches - some a quarter-inch shorter - as measured by the St. Petersburg Times.

"They're lower than any bench I've practiced before," Firmani said.

In Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, the tallest benches are 54 inches high.

In West Pasco, there's also a 6-inch parapet riser - a thin piece of wood - set in front of the judge's desk.

Its purpose is to give the judges some privacy and keep papers from falling off. The old benches didn't have those.

But one bailiff likened the riser to a salad bar "sneeze guard."

Ouch.

"That little lip makes the judges look even shorter," Firmani said.

The platforms on which the judges' chairs sit are 6 inches lower than in the old building, too. Add diminished benches, the privacy wall and lower seating, and what do you get?

Less-majestic judges.

"I'm 5 foot 3, and I tower over the judges during a bench conference," said Assistant State Attorney Mary Handsel. "I actually take a step back because I feel like I'm screaming at them."

* * *

Pasco officials say plans for the courthouse expansion, and the benches, were approved by the county's administrative judge. But Circuit Judge W. Lowell Bray Jr. said he never saw shop drawings of the new benches.

So why are the benches short?

Trial clerks sit alongside judges, exchanging paperwork and files.

So the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Office made two requests of the new courtrooms: clerks need to be close to judges to hand stuff off, and clerks need to be at floor-level because their files are in pushcarts.

None of the judges realized what the benches looked like until an October tour.

* * *

Bray and the county said there have been no official complaints.

But there are worries.

"I think the only concern we had was mainly security," Firmani said, "just people reaching across, because they're lower than the standard heights."

Bray said it's an easy fix: Just raise the bench and the platform for the judge's chair. But the county said then it would have to raise the doors to the new benches, too.

Thanksgiving loomed. The new courthouse had to open on time.

"I wasn't about to ask for anything that could delay the project," Bray said.

* * *

Courthouse wags are having their day in court.

"Judges, bailiffs, lawyers, prosecutors, public defenders, lawyers, trial clerks," said Handsel, "they're all talking about it."

For instance: What's the new requirement for anyone running for Pasco County judge:

"They have to be 5 foot 6 or under."

And there's something about going to court to visit "Munchkinland."

Still, some judges say they don't mind the new benches. Said Circuit Judge William Webb:

"Now children can come up and shake my hand more easily."

[Last modified January 22, 2007, 07:58:41]