Multnomah County Courthouse

This huge and historic building serves as the main courthouse for Multnomah County. It has a great history. It has also been outgrown. Over the years the county has remodled and reconfigured the building to the point it is hard to see how it functions.
I remember serving on a jury in a courtroom with a very low ceiling. That was after hanging out in a huge jury room waiting with a bunch of other people. In the jury room people watched the tvs, read books and magazines, knitted, whatever to deal with the boredom. Every once in a while they would call names to send the people on the list upstairs. Every once in a while I was called upstairs to answer questions and see if I would be selected on that jury. It was a very interesting experience seeing which jury I was selected for and the many I was not. I also learned what it was to on a jury and the process. The process has changed that first jury duty was for a week the last time it was for two days but I was only selected for the one trail.
I can also remember coming here to testify on various issues as part of an old job. Like I said it has history and where you can see the original bits they were nice, for example check out the marble stairs near the entrance.

It’s a pleasure still to visit our beautiful Multnomah County Courthouse that is in the range of something over 100 years old. Walking up the front stairs to enter, all the white marble is impressive, but this being a courthouse, I wonder how many lawsuits have been filed for slip-​and-​fall injuries due to the marble being super-​slippery on our many rainy days? I have worked for a law firm and used to come here quite often to file paperwork, so got to know my way around pretty well. I was also called for jury duty and placed on a two-​week stint for a terrible car-​semi-​truck accident on I-​84. Forget about what used to be called «civics» classes back in school; jury duty and just being in the courthouse is the real education.
I came today as witness in a landlord-​tenant case. The attorney on the case told me to come a few minutes early, so getting through the security line was pretty much a breeze. Landlord-​tenant court is held in the same corridor as traffic court and you’re privy to a lot of stories. For court, it’s surprisingly intimate, and brings new meaning to the term «participatory democracy.» I found everyone I dealt with (and listened to) were reassuring, efficient, and smart. Inmates are brought in for hearings and trial, but I didn’t seen any of them today. The number of services available at the courthouse is remarkable and seems remarkable the building hasn’t burst at the seams
The courthouse looks much better than when I was there for jury duty several years ago. It’s cleaner for one thing. The last time I was there the place seemed to be leaking like a sieve (with wastebaskets catching leaks) and those issues appear to have been resolved. While I love the grandeur and beauty of the white marble, the acoustical part of the proceedings were a bit nightmarish due to that. I’m just at the end of a bad head cold, so being inside my head is like being in a wind tunnel. I had to lean forward and listen intently and do a bit of lip reading with the sound of testimony bouncing off the marble.
As much as I like this courthouse with many years of memories since childhood, I think it’s a good idea they’re building a new one equipped for the 21^st Century and for the amount of population growth Portland has experienced the past few years. I’m not sure the folks who own VQ, a potential site for the new courthouse, are excited about it, but I think it’s time to let go and let it happen. I did a little research to see what might happen to the old courthouse with a new one planned, but I found nothing about that. I hope they find a dignified purpose for the old white marble lady.

Multnomah County Circuit Court is literally the biggest fraud ever. Meter maid «Officer S. Morris, officer number 129» literally gave me a $ 100 ticket for parking too close to the white parallel parking line — excuse me??! They wait downtown for you to leave your car then sneak in. Enjoy all the money you steal from tourists, Portland meter maids. Won’t ever be coming back to this crap town again since you’re obviously praying on out of towners.

Ya know, it wasn’t all that bad. Lots of time to clean out your iPad/​laptop. Nobody to bug you, lots of comfortable seats, tables, fridge, and microwave. The ladies who work there put up with a lot of abuse, I’m sure. They were pleasant and fun. I wasn’t called in for anything and was out both days before noon. It would be nice to have a bigger snack shop as it’s hard to determine just how long you’ll be there, and it’s limited to candy, and artery cloggers. Pack your own lunch and you’ll be a happy juror

In this courthouse, I volunteered for a mock jury trial set up by students at Lewis & Clark College. This courthouse was full of steps, but getting through security took very little time. The building was somewhat dramatic, but going to most capitols or opera buildings take away the though of being specifically impressed with the architecture.
There was lots of flow even though I came around 5PM. I was right next to a real prisoner that they were hauling away for about a minute.
Then, I took the elevator and at times, the beautiful stairs.
The student’s case showed whether or not a company was civally liable for the death of a worker, working on the pipelines. It was wonderful. They discussed the Facebook messages of an imaginary victim, potential bruises before the incident and some of the liquid nitrogen levels in the pipe.
They went through the motions such as «Objection, your honor» and the plaintiffs as well as the defense did a great job. The imaginary victims had co-​workers and the CEO of the company who was in the National Guard pretended to care about the workers.
It was three hours and only I and another lady was the jury. We didn’t deliberate as if at trial.
The building was okay, though it did have cellular reception in the jury room on the fifth floor. The jury box was about what one could expect of how tight it was.
This Multnomah County Courthouse is a great place to see people tried.

I must’ve gotten lucky with the security line because there was none and they didn’t make me take off my jacket (although later, as I was exiting, I saw people having to take jackets/​belts/​etc off).
Sadly, I was here for a red light traffic camera ticket [shaking fist]. I never ever gone to court for a traffic violation before, so I thought, why not?
If you want to be more adventurous, here are some tips for a traffic violation ticket:
Go to Room 106, which has 6 cashier windows. The majority of us, are waiting for the 4 traffic cashiers. For parking or criminal, do NOT wait in line. Go directly to the marked cashiers.
If you are guilty, you can plead no contest/​guilty and ask for reduction of fine. If they give you 50% reduction, take it because this is the most they can do. Seems a little arbitrary how much leniency they give you, but they do look up your driving record. Apparently mine wasn’t that good: D and I didn’t get the 50% off. I requested to see the judge (again, I’m in this for the adventure) to get it reduced more. You can ask how many people are waiting for the judge in front of you. It took me less than 10 minutes to see the judge (there were 3 people in front of me). Each person took about 2 – 5 mins. He asks what your plea is, anything you want to add and then do a ruling. I got a few bucks more taken off and in all, saved $ 110. The whole thing took me about an hour. Most of the time was spent waiting for the cashiers. Bless their souls, because I’m sure they got ask the same questions over and over again. Remember, they do have your driving record in front of them. So do NOT lie or you’ll just make it worse. Be nice because everyone I dealt with that day was pleasant and helpful!
If you are not guilty and planned on presenting a case, you would need to go to trial. This is best done in writing so you don’t have to wait in this long line. Since they won’t be able to get a trial set up the same day anyways, you will have to come back.
Go to Room 103 to pay (do NOT line up for «cashier» again). You can pay with a credit card and they don’t incur extra charges (they do if you pay online). You do have 30 days from the day of the ruling to pay, but I just wanted to get it over with.
Remember, by law, they can’t reduce the fine more than 50%. So if your ticket isn’t that expensive, it’s probably not worth the hassle to go to court, just pay it online here:

lower the waiting time, not enough staff.
if i can be in and out in less than 30 minutes would be greattttt

No matter what you have to do at the courthouse, just know that it will take at least an hour and a half!!! Plan ahead, bring a book, a snack, water. Whatever you do, remember to turn your cell phone volume off while in court!
Other than that, it’s exactly what you would expect. I did meet a cute guy in line though. Bonus!

This is not a review of any of the judges or of the legal system, but of the facilities.
SECURITY: The security here is as tight as the TSA at the airport. Depending on the security personnel, you will likely be asked to take off your coat, your belt, and maybe even your shoes. You can have liquids in your bag, but you’ll also be asked to take out your laptop. On a cold winter’s day, this process causes ridiculously long lines to form with dozens of people freezing their butts off and complaining. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get through the line and security so you’re not late.
BUILDING: The building itself is pretty cool with lots of marble and a huge central staircase. Some of the courtrooms are nice and spacious, but others are so cramped it’s a surprise that you can actually try a case in them.
CAFETERIA: Sorry, but there is no cafeteria. There is a little stand on the first floor where you can get coffee, a muffin, or snacks, but if you want real food you need to go outside and then have to go through the nightmare that is security to come back inside.

Lost all respect for the Courthouse. Don’t be surprised when the deadbeat PERS reciepents treat you like just a source of revenue, even if your «violation» is for an odd parking ordinance no one would think reasonable.
Does anyone still trust government? No really, I’m asking because I typically support democrats

It’s a court house. How does one even really write a review about a court house?
Everyone who works there is friendly and pretty rad, if you’re on the right side of the law. And for that, they are saluted with three stars.
But there is a major, major, major flaw of the courthouse and it is this:
The security line is atrocious. Totally atrocious. And very stressful. \
If one was say, a victim of a violent crime and had perhaps, a hearing that the perp of the same said violent crime was also expected to show up for, the security line, the way it is set up, might perhaps become a special kind of hell for a victim. I’ve seen this happen, and it’s really upsetting for all involved. I don’t understand why there isn’t some sort of stream lined set up for this exact scenario. Apparently one’s option is to show up ultra early so one doesn’t end up smashed up in close proximity in a cattle herding line with their perpetrator. There’s got to be a better way!

Sigh… it looks as tho’ The Powers That Be have finally caught up with me & I may not be able to defer jury duty any longer… I realize it is my duty, yet I am also bound to pay my bills & jury duty won’t cut it. Still, the system seems to work, most of the time, the security there is typical (invasive, but for the people in front of me who were carrying switchblades… um, I’m pleased as all get out some form of security was there).
Is it the most pleasant place to spend time? No, it is not. But if you bring a book to read and a snack or two, it shouldn’t be too awful. It’s a small price to pay for the Wheels of Justice.

*super secret juror tips follow. read this, you’ll be glad you did.*
Maybe it’s because I spent the last two decades moving every couple of years, but somehow I’ve managed to evade jury duty until Portland. Even here, it took four years! Seriously though, Multnomah county made the experience as painless as possible. Key points:
–I needed to request deferral for almost four months due to a family illness. Totally not a problem, I asked for and was replaced for the exact date I requested. That date happened to be a Tuesday, which was GOOD, but could have been better as it turns out (more on that in a minute.)
–security not bad and super fast, even with a book bag full of: ipad, iphone, Vogue, Smart Water, 2 Lara Bars, pens, lip gloss, sunglasses, hair scrunchies, and oh yeah, books.
–as many have mentioned, WIFI. either very few were on it, or it’s actually pretty good wifi, but whatever… score.
–comfortable seats in jury waiting room. Which is good, because you’ll likely be sitting for a long time. Pretty dated video, but the staff was fantastic and actually FUNNY!
–several folks have complained about the aesthetics of the place, and I get it: the great bones of the building are pretty overshadowed by the horrible «updates» which appear to have begun in the early 60s and continue through recent times. Recessed ceilings, terrible lighting, fake walls, etc. Multnomah county grew and it’s not like the courthouse grew as well. Partitioning was necessary to make the most of available space, and as this is (obviously) publicly funded, it’s gonna be on the cheap. We can bitch about the aesthetics, or we can fund a better rehab. Or hey, even better? Fund something more pressing like the Sellwood Bridge.
–jury wrangler filled us in on some helpful info regarding jury selection and days of the week: in addition to regular day service, grand juries are picked on Mondays. We’re talking a MONTH commitment here folks. That said, if you’re unemployed and looking for something to do other than loiter in the park, request jury duty on a Monday. On Tuesdays and Wednesday, in addition to regular service at Multnomah County Courthouse, jurors are selected (to serve the following day) at the Gresham Courthouse. If this is an terrible burden, you may wish to request your service on Thursdays or Fridays. ssshh, don’t tell.

I’m a jury duty pro. For some reason, I used to get tagged for jury service every year back in my old burg. I was kind of hoping that would be all over after I moved to Portland, but NOOOOOO!
Dang it if I didn’t get a jury summons 5 months after I settled in here. WTF? What really drives me crazy is that my occupation is such that no defense attorney will EVER sit (seat?) me on a jury. It’s like I have jury cooties.
Anyway, Multnomah County Courthouse is all old and bust up. The architecture of the building is classic – marble staircase, etc. However, the place is in serious need of a facelift and/​or makeover.
The jury waiting room consists of several rows of chairs – lots of chairs. Why can’t they hook up these rooms with some tables or desks? There’s free wifi, but you’ll have to prop your laptop up in your… lap. There are two flatscreen TV’s showing CNN with the sound off. Wow, that closed captioning is hit and miss. Even if the sound was on, I still wouldn’t be able to hear over the morons chatting on their cell phones. Serously? They don’t have a special area for cell phone use? Maddening.
Anyway, I did my civic duty and supposedly won’t get called again for 24 months.

The Courthouse security is worse than PDX’s security. You need to take off pretty much everything, jewelry, shoes, belts, no coins in your pockets, cell phones need to be in baskets. Thank God, we can keep our clothes on.
The Jury duty «waiting area» is a bit depressing. Typical government offices’ waiting room, bright light, plenty of seats, and be prepare to wait for a while. Not all bad things are in this waiting room. They have two big flat screen tvs, magazines, books, and game boards. They really want you to be entertain while you wait for them to call your names.
I was able to made it to the Voir Dire process and it was interesting. I didn’t have to spend seven hours in that waiting room, not bad at all for my first Jury Duty experience. Thank God, it will be two more years until my next one. Yay!

The jury waiting room offers free wi-​fi! Perfect time to write a little, read a little and ask myself — why didn’t I seek a delay in my jury duty?
Wi-​fi is a true blessing on a day which can test the patience of any civic minded Oregonian. Quiet, dull, clinical and just plain boring.
I awoke this morning eager to fulfill my civic duty. Took the bus into town — easy to do from my home in inner NE Portland (#19). Dropped me off just a block from the courthouse.
Get ready for a long wait in line just to get into the place. This is not the TSA and these are not experienced business travellers ready to go — with shoes off and jewelery, coins etc in the plastic bins. Directions are repeated over and over by the security people before courthouse visitors can get through the single metal detector.
Well once inside — the staff in the jury room are very, very helpful, friendly and eager to please. That said there is no getting around the tedium of sitting in the jury room.
There is no coffee («budget cutbacks» according to the judge who spoke to the group). The line for the restroom can be long during breaks.
We did get to see a short movie describing the importance of our work here today. The movie was well produced — kind of slick actually.
Well, an hour and half into my day I have not been called to be on a jury and I continue to be drawn to Unilocal and other social netoworking sites– with a stearn admonition from the courthouse staff: «no blogging or social networking» once you are selected to be on a jury.
Helpful Hints:
Bring a laptop, bring your wireless card (again — free wi-​fi), bring a book, snacks if you get hungry and bring your zen best relaxed patient other self.
Again — great people working here — just a slow moving process.
You might want to read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD before fulfilling your jury obligation — you will better understand the importance of this moment while waiting it out.

The Jury Call Wait Room is a unforgiving sort of place… especially in a state where it is in the Constitution to reform rather than punish humans. I’ve visited past felony Clients in other locations of the building, usually behind bars, sometimes carrying in spiffy duds to dress them like normal people who deserve a fair Trial. Have sat thru MANY Court Hearings and Trials, paid parking fines, and also Testified a time or two. Have appeared w/​o an Attorney asking a Judge for help to prevent an unfortunate person from harming other homeless people.
You can do some of your own public info research in the records room, but kindly be respectful of others who have important public service work to do there. You may be paying them for the time it takes to wait in line behind you… so it’s not a place for mere curiosity if others are waiting… altho it can be fun to see how many Convicts live in your neighborhood. Important stuff happens here.
I went to watch the Tom Metzger race-​murder Trial, when it was not really my business. A Skinhead neighbor who lived in my Apartment building was also on the room. You can observe most any Trial or Hearing you like to learn about this important part of our democratic process. Many good people dedicate their lives to make it work.
You must pass Security Gates as you enter, so leave excess stuff at home, and please dress appropriately, and use the Bus or MAX.
Also, some funny stuff happens here. But it’s rare.
I remember when an overly impulsive client (who realized he was going to Prison VERY soon) busted right thru a wall to escape — right into Judge Dorothy Bakers Chambers, stealing her Robe in the process of escape. Talk about a Keystone Cops scene!
Even tho this fascinating old building is solid and worthy — and should remain in public service, please take care so you are not required to to do too much biz here!
A Tip: If you are seeking tax records, or have a meeting with a County Commissioner, or someone else who works at the County — they probably work across the Hawthorne Bridge, at the major office building on 5^th. Know before you go.

«The Multnomah County Courthouse: dropping the hammer of justice on a daily basis.»
Besides the fact that this historic and beautiful building is a f*cking death trap, it can also be an extremely entertaining place to spend an hour or two soaking in the utter chaos of humanity (as long as you are not on the wrong side of the shackles).
At any given moment between 8 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday, there’s something exciting going on at the courthouse. The best part is… unless you’re a witness, or the hearing is confidential (rare), then the courtrooms are open to all spectators. You can come (for free) and see everything from boring guilty pleas, to exciting murder cases, to Springer-​style domestic hearings.
It’s not uncommon to witness (pun intended) each and every raw emotion of which humans are capable on any given floor at any given time. Desperate sadness, terrifying anger, crushing boredom, irrational exuberance, and plain old liberating relief. If you sit outside a courtroom long enough, you’ll see one of each. It’s also probably one of the only places you’ll see someone in shackles being herded within about 3 feet of a group of 8^th graders on a field trip.
Grandiose steps, beautiful marble, classic elegant trim, huge columns out front… this historic building has it all. Each and every courtroom is unique — no two are even close to the same. A labyrinth of justice, the courthouse for the 4^th district does it’s job on a daily basis — something its been doing since, well, I don’t know, but judging from the quality of the safety measures, the dawn of time.
Stop by some time for a visit. It’s always better to be a visitor than a participant here.