Court Review: Volume 39, Issue 2 - President's Column

I have chosen for my initial column a topic that is of importance to all judges, regardless of jurisdiction or locality, yet is often ignored—courtroom and personal security. Given the domestic violence theme of this issue and the special security concerns involving courtrooms that conduct hearings involving domestic violence and family matters, I thought that this subject matter was most appropriate. I have been interested in courtroom security for many years, due to my law enforcement background, having served as a police officer in Washington, D.C., and in New Jersey. Given the limited space I have for this column, I can only touch briefly upon this topic.

It is my hope that by revisiting this subject, each of us becomes more vigilant and sensitized to issues involving both personal and courtroom security.