A screenshot shows changes to a Prince George's County courtroom as Maryland courts entered a final phase of reopening and the resumption of jury trials on Monday. The state's public defenders union and other groups have called for greater protections. Maryland Judiciary screenshot.
Cynthia Christiani is a public defender and has served at Baltimore City’s district courthouse on North Avenue for 15 years. She said her office in the winding, windowless basement has seen minimal, if any, updates.
“I’ve never seen any updates to anything,” she told Maryland Matters in the courthouse hall last Friday.
Christiani called the building “frightening in general,” noting issues with the ventilation and a sewage problem a couple of years back that left her without an office for weeks.
But as courts enter into their final stage of reopening as the pandemic continues to rage on, the fear becomes more tangible.
