Ask someone to picture a courthouse, and they'll almost always describe the courtroom. They'll picture a judge on the bench, attorneys presenting their arguments, a witness on the stand, and jurors seated in the jury box. It's understandable. After all, that's where justice is most visible.

The court reporter has been one of the most quietly essential figures in the courtroom. Seated between the judge's bench and the witness stand, they capture every spoken word in real time, producing what becomes the official legal record of the proceeding.

That seat is becoming increasingly empty.

I was recently sitting in a courthouse planning meeting reviewing demographic and economic data with county officials. The trends were interesting. Population growth was steady but not extraordinary. What caught my attention was the county's rising median household income. For a largely rural...

One of the most important questions in courthouse planning is also one of the most difficult to answer:

How many courtrooms should a courthouse contain?

Before anyone speaks in a courtroom, the building has already said something.

From the height of the ceiling to the absence of daylight in the waiting area, every architectural decision shapes how people feel the moment they enter the space.