The Laredo Municipal Court Reopens for In-person Proceedings
Written by admin, May 22, 2021, 0 Comments
Courtesy Isabel Sosa,
Laredo, Texas — The Laredo Municipal Court is proud to announce the reopening of the courthouse to in-person proceedings, along with a remodeling of the courtrooms. On Friday, May 21, 2021, the Honorable Judge Jesus “Chuy” Dominguez hosted a reopening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Laredo Municipal Court.
After more than 15 months of converting all activities to virtual proceedings due to the pandemic, the courthouse will reopen and begin scheduling all sessions on Monday, May 24, 2021. The sessions will be posted and available online at www.laredomunicipalcourt.com. Regular hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Furthermore, the court will continue to offer a limited amount of virtual sessions in order to cater to all those who are still not comfortable with in-person visits to any public building or for various reasons.
This ceremony was also organized to inaugurate the remodeling of the court, which includes 3 courtrooms. Originally, there was only one grand courtroom. With a total cost of $203,681.53, the courthouse underwent this remodeling process in August 2019 while normal sessions were still happening. The orders of closing down City buildings to the public as health restrictions extended throughout the community became beneficial for the project to carry out. One main courtroom that has a capacity of up to 60 persons, plus two smaller courtrooms for about 40 persons each, will allow citizens to be served in a faster and efficient manner. This also means that more cases and trials can be performed at the same time.
Most of the project was created in-house by the City of Laredo staff, mainly from Public Works, including IST and the Public Access Channel. Aside from the creation of multiple courtrooms, the remodeling process included the upgrading of technology such as monitors and audio systems; new furniture and refurbished benches were installed; new paint, flooring, and tile gave the building a revived look. The general budget included about $165,000 from the General Fund and the rest was covered by district funding.
During this special ceremony, Judge Dominguez recognized Director John Orfila and awarded several Public Works staff members with a certificate to extend his appreciation and respect for the arduous work they performed to complete this endeavor.
Additionally, Night Court will continue to be available twice a month, on the first and third Wednesday of the month, beginning at 5:00 PM, to all of those who need assistance after regular working hours. For additional questions, the community can visit www.laredomunicipalcourt.com or call (956) 794-1680.
