For decades, one of the most common assumptions in courthouse planning has been that every judge requires a dedicated courtroom. While this approach offers operational simplicity, it also drives some of the highest costs in courthouse construction and long-term facility operations.

As we reach the midpoint of summer break, it is easy to become complacent about school security. After all, students are not in the building. Why worry about school safety now?

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...