courthouses
Where trials happen
Courthouses are buildings where courts of law convene and legal proceedings take place.
They typically house courtrooms, judges' chambers, and offices for court clerks and other judicial staff.
In the United States, county courthouses often serve as the seat of local government and may contain other administrative offices beyond the courts.
The courthouse square, with the building at its center, remains a feature of many American town centers.
Formal legal proceedings
- judgesLegal proceeding overseers
- bailiffsCourt order enforcers
- docketsScheduled case lists
- arraignmentsFormal court charge readings
verdicts · sentencing · gavels · benches · witness stands · jury boxes · attorneys · prosecutors
Upright structural shafts
- rotundaCircular domed chamber
- domeRounded vault forming roof
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- porticoColumned covered entryway
steps · marble · neoclassical · pediment · clock tower · arches · granite · limestone
Administrative center of a region
- municipalOf city government
- governmentAuthority over a state
- recordsStored data or albums
- deedsActions or legal titles
licenses · permits · marriage certificates · filing · public access · taxpayers · elections · administration
Devices locating concealed objects
- screeningEvaluative selection process
- guardsProtectors or watchmen
- checkpointsInspection stations along routes
- camerasVisual recording devices
restricted access · holding cells · handcuffs · marshals · escorts · lockdown · surveillance · badge
Notable point of reference
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- restorationReturning something to condition
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- plaquesCommemorative mounted inscriptions
tours · National Register · Victorian · colonial · antebellum · centennial · rededication · murals
trials
Formal legal proceedings
arraignments · verdicts · sentencing · gavels · benches · witness stands · jury boxes · attorneys · prosecutors · defendants
columns
Upright structural shafts
portico · steps · marble · neoclassical · pediment · clock tower · arches · granite · limestone · cupola
county seat
Administrative center of a region
- municipalOf city government
- governmentAuthority over a state
- recordsStored data or albums
deeds · licenses · permits · marriage certificates · filing · public access · taxpayers · elections · administration · jurisdiction
metal detectors
Devices locating concealed objects
- screeningEvaluative selection process
- guardsProtectors or watchmen
- checkpointsInspection stations along routes
cameras · restricted access · holding cells · handcuffs · marshals · escorts · lockdown · surveillance · badge · contraband
landmark
Notable point of reference
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- restorationReturning something to condition
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
plaques · tours · National Register · Victorian · colonial · antebellum · centennial · rededication · murals · portraits
- placescity, town, village, hamlet, building
- legal systemattorney, landmark cases, criminal cases, lawyers, legal precedents
- public buildingsgovernment buildings, city halls, civic buildings, municipal buildings, town halls
- public propertypublic land, public park, public lands, state property, public library
- public servicespolice, police department, police station, police stations, police patrols
- urban spacesapartments, pedestrian zone, public spaces, shops, offices
courthousesblack markets
Illegal trading networks
underworld · no-man's-land · hideouts · crime scenes · back alleys
courthousesprisons
Detention facilities for criminals
jails · penitentiaries · detention centers · police stations · correctional facilities
- courthouse weddingMarriage performed by judge
- county courthouseRegional government legal facility
- courthouse stepsStairs to legal building