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    Suffolk County Courthouse

    3.4 (20 reviews)

    Suffolk County Courthouse Photos

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    Snack Bar by Jury Room
    Aubrey C.

    FINDING THE COURTHOUSE - Google map Cafe Nero (3 Center Plaza, Boston) and go up the stairs and head to your right. You will never find the entrance otherwise. The actual address of the Court House will not bring you to the entrance JURY DUTY SCHEDULE - 8:00AM - go through security, including metal detectors and wait in line and go into Jury waiting area. Note: they have one of the Poland Springs water dispensers inside - 8:40AM - speech from one of the jury duty officers starts - 8:45AM - 18 min video about the wonders of jury duty - 9:00AM - speech from one of the judges - 9:15AM - break time. My opinion is do not is to go into the break room because you will not be able to hear the jury duty officers call out the numbers if you go in there. They should really invest in a microphone system - 9:30AM - they start calling out numbers OUT OF ORDER so you need to pay attention. Numbers 113-189 called - 9:45AM - Numbers 1-50 something called - 10:00AM - 190+ called (at this point my number was up and I had to go up to the courtroom for Jury Selection - 11:30AM - Jury Selection over (14 jurors seated - unfortunately I was one of them) TRIAL - Won't go into specifics about my trial but if you bring in breakfast pastries and/or snacks for your fellow jurors, they will appreciate it

    Amy B.

    I had jury duty here, so my feedback is for that experience. I have served jury duty in Cambridge and in another state, as well, so I have some basis for comparison. When you arrive for service, you'll have to wait in line to have your paperwork checked. At that time, you'll be assigned a number. It appears that they run through the numbers sequentially, so the lower your number, the more likely you'll get to go into a courtroom and be considered for a jury. Once you get your number, you go into the big room and sit. And sit. And sit. There will be an introductory presentation, including an incredibly cheesy movie in which various people enthusiastically declare they'd serve jury duty if called again (um, duh, you have to). Periodically, the court officer will return to the room and call a group of prospective jurors by number to go to a courtroom. The court officer also gave us a number of breaks, during which we could leave the courthouse. Food and beverages other than water are not allowed in the jury waiting room, but there is a small adjacent break room where you're allowed to eat. A small cafe is right outside the jury room, but I would recommend using one of your many breaks to get food at a nearby restaurant like Zo. Jury duty is not my favorite way to spend a day, but there were a few reasons why it was better at Suffolk County Courthouse than elsewhere: 1. The courthouse is easy to get to and surrounded by places to eat and shop 2. The court officer gave frequent, informative updates about the different cases on the docket that day and our likely wait times before we could leave You are not allowed to talk on your cell phone in the jury room, but they do allow you to step into the hall for calls, and they did not stop anyone from using the phone for data purposes. I'd heard that some courts don't allow Kindles, but they didn't inspect people here for devices or prohibit any that I noticed.

    From the courthouse web site. Really.

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    5 months ago

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    3 years ago

    Professional people. Everything was easy and straightforward. Easy T accessible and right downtown for plenty of lunch options.

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    Ask the Community - Suffolk County Courthouse

    Review Highlights - Suffolk County Courthouse

    I have gone to jury duty twice, once in Cambridge (Middlesex County), and once at Suffolk County Courthouse.

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    John Joseph Moakley Courthouse

    John Joseph Moakley Courthouse

    4.6(14 reviews)
    0.8 miWaterfront, South Boston

    I've never reviewed a courthouse before, so five stars?!…read more I came here and attended the case on Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College back in 2018. So I can only speak about the experience here for the bench trial. Security is strict, and you must leave your cellphone with the front desk. After you tell them which courtroom you are going to, you then go through security. It's airport style, and make sure you have your photo ID with you. If I remember it correctly, the bench trial was on the fifth floor. The elevators were pretty fast. The bathrooms were clean. Actually during one of the days, the fire alarm went off so we had to exit through the side staircase. Outside the room, you get a beautiful waterfront view, it's very pretty! I heard such good things about the cafeteria and now I wish I had a chance to try it. That said, Seaport has transformed so much and there are endless options these days! Love it!

    iawtc. I've been on…read moretwo "field trips" as it were to this courthouse for law school so far this year and there's so much to talk about. The court rooms are bright, pretty, with stenciled wall motifs and domed ceilings and colorful carpeting and light wood. They're not intimidating at all and have an old-school town hall meets grandma's living room feeling. I think the idea is to create a sense of community, the idea of a place where the people's voices are heard. Hard to articulate it better than that. It's literally an architectural embodiment of all the floofy ideals they keep telling us in law school that nobody actually listens to. It fits, of course, that all the judges I've met so far (and that's considerable since one of our field trips was a Q&A panel sponsored by the First Circuit in which a bunch of the circuit's top judges talked to us) are magnanimous, paternal and...sweethearts. I can't believe it. Not intimidating at all. It was very much, "You're welcome to come by and watch a trial in my courtroom any time!" Of course, they're all also scary brilliant and classy and composed and articulate like whoa. My second field trip was a sentencing and I think I witnessed the first experience of my life where I've literally seen someone "be merciful." It was even heartwarming. My friend and I had to hold back tears at the end and, keep in mind, we're LAW STUDENTS. LAW STUDENTS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE SOULS. Then again, the federal courts are supposed to be the "ivory tower" of the American justice system. But, all in all, my experiences at Moakley have been nothing if not refreshing. When I walk in there I really do feel like this is a house of justice. And Brandeis p0wns. Even the US Marshals manning the metal detectors are adorable. I hope if I'm ever indicted in federal court I get to be a defendant at Moakley! Also, subsidized Sebastian's cafeteria is delicious and this building may very well have the best chunk of waterfront real estate in the entire Boston metropolitan area.

    Photos
    John Joseph Moakley Courthouse - Outside

    Outside

    John Joseph Moakley Courthouse - Outside

    Outside

    John Joseph Moakley Courthouse

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    Edward W Brooke Courthouse

    Edward W Brooke Courthouse

    2.8(10 reviews)
    0.2 miWest End, Downtown

    Thanks to the incompetence of this place, I have lost time that I will never get back with my…read morechildren. The staff continues to lose paperwork, ignore calls, ignore requests, send court paperwork to the wrong location. I have been lied to be staff, as well as a woman who claimed to work for the courts, yet no one seemed to have any record of her when I followed up with what she told me later. The staff needs to be held accountable and better administrative practices needs to be put into place.

    I'm doing my public service today, as a juror at the Edward M Brooke Courthouse. And like others I…read morewas a little surprised to see reviews on Yelp, but since this is an uncommon experience (how often does one visit a courthouse if you're not a lawyer) so I thought I would add my two cents. It's been an ok experience so far, other than the violation of my 4th amendment rights (unwarranted search) at the front door. The concession in the lobby is great because I really needed that second cup of coffee! The jury waiting room is pleasant and comfortable, it's nicely appointed, quiet, warm, and separate bathrooms for the jurors. Chairs are comfortable as well and the person greeting us was very nice. Overall it's been a pleasant experience. I dinged them one star for no public WiFi and the virtual strip search at the entrance.

    Photos
    Edward W Brooke Courthouse - The smaller room with vending and restroom access.

    The smaller room with vending and restroom access.

    Edward W Brooke Courthouse - Side view - Winter 2014/2015

    Side view - Winter 2014/2015

    Edward W Brooke Courthouse - Fall 2014

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    Fall 2014

    Waltham District Court

    Waltham District Court

    4.3(3 reviews)
    8.4 mi

    Was there only once and was surprised about service, despite a ton of complains. Starting from the…read moreguard and finishing with the court gentleman - everybody was kind and polite. I did not use an attorney, and it was a challenge for me to get through entire process, but with those people there it was so easy, I am so satisfied!

    I had jury duty at Waltham District Court. Jurors arrive earlier than everyone else and are the…read moreonly ones allowed in past security from 8-8:30am. If you arrive earlier than 8am the door is closed and you must wait outside. The parking lot was fairly empty this early in the morning. When you enter the building, there are signs prohibiting cell phone use, food, and drinks, but the security guard told us that these rules don't pertain to the jury pool room (although you must silence your phone). After bag scan, the jury must take the elevator (not the stairs) up to the jury pool room. The door to the jury pool room closes at 8:55am at which point John the bailiff shows an introductory video - if you aren't in the room at this time, you have to come back a different day. Of 21 potential jurors called, only 15 reported. One of my fellow potential jurors was 80 years old and didn't realize jury duty is optional for senior citizens. The jury pool room is fairly small for 22 people and consists of about 25 chairs which are passably comfortable (for the first hour or so). In the jury pool room there is a bathroom with two toilets and two sinks, but only one potential juror is allowed to use the bathroom at a time. The bathroom was not particularly clean, but not ridiculously filthy. For amenities, the room has a water cooler, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a toaster, but power outlets are rare. There is a table which fits about 4 people. There are many different magazines you can read while you wait. John the bailiff helped pass some of the time by telling courtroom anecdotes, his point being that things don't always go as scheduled in the courtroom so potential jurors need to be flexible. I tried to nap during my wait, but couldn't find a relaxed position in the chairs and kept getting distracted by the bathroom door opening and closing. In the Waltham courthouse there is only one courtroom. Although the jurors arrived at 8am, the judge didn't show up until noon, at which point we had already all been waiting there for 4 hours. They told us this was unusual - on normal days the jury's role starts at 11:30am. They didn't explain why we have to be there 3.5 hours before we are potentially needed. There were 6 cases on the docket, but only one went to trial. We were told that only 1% of the court's cases end up with a jury trial. We were also told that jury pools are called only 50 times a year (one day a week), and that a trial only occurs 60% of those times. That means that out of the 50*21=1050 potential jurors which are called to the court in a given year, approximately 30*7=210 (20%) actually find themselves impaneled on a jury. On our day there was a trial but I was not impaneled. At about 12:45, all potential jurors were brought into court with the judge, clerk, defendant, attorneys, witnesses and another bailiff, Joe. There was no bathroom availability in the courtroom but I didn't ask what happens if someone has to use the bathroom once they are in the courtroom. At this point, the judge and attorneys go through each juror's survey and ask relevant questions to establish impartiality. Potential jurors are questioned in private (away from other jurors) at the judge's sidebar. At this point, I was briefly placed on the jury, but then immediately removed, perhaps as one of the two juror vetoes allowed by each side's attorneys. I was not told why I was removed or by whom. After the jury was chosen, the courtroom broke for lunch, after which the trial proceeds with 5-7 jurors. On my day, only 6 potential jurors out of the 15 who reported were needed for jury duty. Everyone else (including me) was dismissed at this point because our services were unneeded. When I was able to go home it was 1:15pm, which means I was sitting at the courthouse for 5-1/4 hours. Other than a parking lot, there was not much in the area of the court house. Across the street is a Dunkin Donuts, a CVS, a Petco, and a gasoline station. If you don't have a car, and don't want lunch from Dunkin Donuts, then you should bring your own lunch.

    Somerville District Court

    Somerville District Court

    4.0(3 reviews)
    2.7 mi

    I went here for jury duty. It was very easy to find, although traffic was heavy and it took me 1…read morehour to get there from Natick and an hour and a half to get home. As another reviewer correctly stated, parking is plentiful and free of charge. It states on their website that the court does not have Wi-Fi, but I had no difficulty navigating the internet from my cell phone which helped pass the time. Overall, everything was well organized, and as the court officer and judge promised, they did their best to get the group out of there as soon as possible.

    SO I have an appeal date for an Insurance Claim... I get there & park all the way across the…read moreParking Lot & walk in - (keeping in mind it was 90' this am and Im 7+ months pregnant) I get in only to find out that CELL PHONES NEED TO BE KEPT IN YOUR CAR. So I walk ALL THE WAY back to my car and leave the phone there. Then get back in, am pointed in the direction of the stairs, where there is a BIG SIGN that says "For Insurance Appeals, please go down stairs - Take a Seat, BE PATIENT, BE QUIET,and wait to the Clerk call your name. As I get down the bottom of the stairs there are 2-4 more signs that say the same message. Then walking down the hallway and where the benches are, again 3-5 more of the same previously mentioned signs.. I sit down & as per the sign WAIT... This snotty lady comes in & begins to talk to everyone sitting there about how she couldnt find the place and all I keep thinking was "DID SHE MISS THE SIGNS" she then starts asking all about the process, and how do they know who was here next, and are our appts all the same time? Just not taking notice that NO ONE else is talking... We are all just sitting here minding our own business... So she gets up & proceeds to walk to the area where the clerk was and ask to Check In, to which she was told "Read the Signs, Go Sit Down" several minutes pass and the Clerk comes out to check us all in & starts by saying.. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO CLEARLY DIDNT READ THE SIGNS, IM TAKING POINTS OFF YOUR APPEAL - THE SIGNS ARE HERE FOR A REASON AND MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE READ THEM! I agree a little harsh - but it was completely warranted as there are signs EVERYWHERE... Then when the clerk walked away, same snotty lady then comments on how Rude Clerk was & that was not needed... WTF do you expect - YOU DIDNT READ THE 1,439 signs... It was then my turn with the clerk (sat for 10 mins or so) and was told I would receive my notice in around 4 weeks. In & Out... Was cool enough in there so I was able to be comfy. Hope I dont have to spend much more time in a court house! Ample Parking and for those that cannot find this place... It is DIRECTLY across the street from Christmas Tree Shop!

    Photos
    Somerville District Court - Tons of Parking...

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    Tons of Parking...

    Suffolk County Courthouse - courthouses - Updated May 2026

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