This is a review for the Suffolk Probate and Family Court. I've sat in Suffolk Family Court long enough to recognize the soundtrack. It's the shuffle of papers, the sighs, the clock that never moves, and the quiet sound of people's lives getting billed by the hour. You want to know what went wrong? I watched it. Day after day. Same hallway. Same fear. Different families. Judges? Overworked. Exhausted. Politicized. Good people once, now just trying to get through a docket like it's TSA on Thanksgiving. Lawyers? They don't fight for justice. They fight for extensions. Every motion is a revenue stream. Every delay is a vacation home getting closer. They drain savings accounts with straight faces and sleep just fine knowing the kids are collateral damage. And the guardians....don't get me started. Some of them shouldn't be guarding a goldfish. No grasp of psychology. No understanding of trauma. Enormous power. Minimal oversight. That's not protection, that's roulette. This system doesn't listen. It processes. It grinds families down until everyone's too tired to keep going, then calls that resolution. I left because I couldn't watch it anymore. Too many parents breaking. Too many kids learning early that adults in robes don't always mean safety. There's a sadness in those courtrooms you can feel in your chest. And if you're not careful, it teaches you to shrink. To comply. To shut up. Don't. Strength doesn't always look like winning. Sometimes it looks like enduring without losing yourself. Teach your kids to trust their instincts, even when adults in authority fail them. You have to walk in strong. Eyes up. Spine straight. Because intimidation is baked into the architecture. These people should not have the power they have. Not without real oversight. Real training. Real accountability. To the Governor of Massachusetts, the Governor's Council, the Chief Justice, and those charged with oversight of the Probate & Family Court: Families are trapped in this system for months and often years, waiting for decisions that directly affect children's safety, stability, and development. These delays are not administrative inconveniences--they cause real and lasting harm. Without rigorous review, nothing changes. Immediate intervention, transparency, and reform are required, including a comprehensive review of judicial performance and court operations to address the human cost of prolonged inaction. Family court shouldn't feel like punishment for loving your kids. And when it does, when it breaks families instead of protecting them that's not justice. That's rot. And anyone paying attention knows it. Tell your story. Silence is how this stays hidden. read more

HIGHLIGHTS FOR JURY DUTY: (1) phones and laptops ARE allowed past security, (2) you can buy food and drinks at the little cafe and credit cards are accepted, (3) limited wifi is available in the break room, (4) outlets are available in both rooms (though more of them are in the break room) I gotta say, this is about as well-organized a process as jury duty gets. Here is a brief rundown of my day (as others have also shared), with some tips along the way. Instructions mailed to me say to show up by 8am at the Suffolk County Courthouse at 3 Pemberton Square. Finding the courthouse is a little tricky. Most people will probably be coming from the Cambridge Street/Tremont Street side of the plaza, so just walk through the tunnel under the "Center Plaza" sign next to Caffe Nero at the intersection of Court Street and Tremont. Go past Caffe Nero on the right and walk up the stairs. When you get to the brick courtyard/parking area, follow the row of parked cars to the right and you will see the entrance to the courthouse. Once I entered the courthouse, here's how the day unfolded... 7:45 go through security (very short line of 2 people in front of me - security officers were very pleasant) 7:48 directed to take elevator to 2nd floor and go to Room 218 (easy to find, right near elevators) 7:50 check in and submit juror questionnaire (first one on line) 7:55 grab coffee and breakfast sandwich at "Court Café" (credit cards accepted) - sandwich was hot, fresh, and pretty good (tasted home made) 7:55-8:30 wait in main jury pool room or break room (break room is much smaller but has better AC and gets wifi; main room does not) 8:30-9:00 general instructions read, video about jury service shown, and judge speaks to jury pool 9:00-11:00 continue waiting in jury pool room with periodic announcements that they are waiting to hear from judges upstairs 11:00 the last trial reached a plea deal, so no one is needed today!!! Everyone leaves quickly before they change their minds! LOL At several points, we were reminded that we should receive a jury service certificate in 7-10 days in the mail. This will enable us to be excused from jury service again for 3 years. read more

Dacia Burton Rogers , super professional, well spoken, with very tough skin, I know it's hard but she keeps her head high and pushes through everyday , i know her future will blossom in any courthouse God bless America. read more

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

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 read more

See all

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. read more

See all

I wanted to update since previous reviews are old: THE FOOD/SNACK BAR BY THE JURY ROOM NOW TAKES CREDIT CARDS. Since I run a network of jenkem distilleries (just google it. Actually, don't. Stay off my turf), I end having to appear in court quite often. I would say this courthouse is probably middle of the road. The best part actually is the food/snack bar. The snacks and food are actually made there I believe, I got a peek into the room behind the counter. They have full sandwiches, breakfast combos, bacon, eggs, etc. The quality is actually really surprising, I enjoyed what I got, and it was cheap too. I think I had a Gavel Burger and a Justice Shake, but I can't recall now. The jury waiting room has an interesting timeline regarding Mass. legal history. Apparently, we were the first to tell anti-Vaxers to piss off, that was in the early 1900s. Which amazes me because I thought anti-Vaxers were some kind of next-level stupid that the early 2000s invented. The rest of the building is pretty spotty; floors are old & lighting is poor. The elevators are slow and take forever to arrive. The bathrooms aren't going to leave you scarred, but they're not exactly up to date either. The nicest thing I can say is that the jury box itself has a foot-rest for each seat that makes sitting much more comfortable. Lastly, I found all the staff, clerks, trial court police, etc. to be perfectly nice as well. Just be nice and they'll be nice back; believe me, you're not important enough for anyone to care enough to be rude to you. read more

I have gone to jury duty twice, once in Cambridge (Middlesex County), and once at Suffolk County Courthouse. I haven't been seated on a jury. I really want to be seated, it's been close, but it hasn't been in the cards. Suffolk County Courthouse is better than Middlesex. The art deco details are covered by crumbling posters for the government employees' credit union and laughable fire escape routes, but if you look hard enough, you will see these details. And you will have time to look hard enough, because you will be sitting in that jury box with nothing to read for over an hour, contemplating whether you can be fair and impartial, thinking about Matlock, craving a hot dog...thinking about To Kill A Mockingbird, craving Gregory Peck in seersucker...wondering why people wear jeans and flip flops to jury duty, longing for a day when everyone wore hats and gloves. You will glare down the guy in the "Bangkok" t-shirt (Mickey Mouse included) & shorts, who is typing away on his laptop, right in the front row - after everyone was told to put down their reading material while the judge is on the bench. Now he's yelling at the bailiff, who asked him to turn it off: "we're not doing anything right now, why can't I surf the internet? What do you mean it's disrespectful to the judge? I don't care about him!" (exaggerated sigh, closes laptop, begins fidgeting.) This guy REALLY wants to be dismissed. Either that or he has extreme ADD. We're getting a day off to just sit with our thoughts- and we're getting dismissed at 1:00! Whiner. If I were the judge, I'd insist he sit for this trial. It's a personal injury case and it's going to last a week. After an hour of staring at the bookshelves and light fixtures and thinking about an artistic era of American Progress, your coveted spot as "juror number 1" will be yanked out from under you and you will be sent back to the jury pool, which is in a significantly less interesting, over-air conditioned room. However, it is next to a coffee stand. The woman working the stand is wearing a t-shirt that says "REMIND ME WHY I CAME IN HERE?" Exactly. But again, this option is better than the Middlesex courthouse. Middlesex has a cafeteria, but it's on another floor - so you have to wait until your break. At least up here you can get a $.50 banana and eat it while you wait. And wait. And wait. Standing in line at 7:45, sitting in the pool all morning...you are beginning to feel empathy for Europeans, whose lives are spent "queueing up." None of the clocks show the same time. You get herded around by people in uniforms with more information than you, up and down all sorts of elevators. In the right frame of mind, it's fun - like an absurd game of municipal Clue, without the actual crime-solving. For some reason, the clerk overseeing the jury pool keeps apologizing to you for being here - as if it weren't your civic duty. He gives you a nice long break. You can go outside into the concrete wonderland of City Hall plaza, get a cup of coffee (you don't want what she's serving in the courthouse), and watch suits and tourists mill around. There's an instructional movie. It's like a civics movie from junior high, only more boring. You'll probably get to go home at 1:00. Bring a book. read more

Suffolk County Courthouse - From the courthouse web site. Really. - Courthouses Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Timeline another user shared is very accurate. My first time having to actually show up for Jury Duty. Things are explained as they go along but it does feel confusing if you haven't been there or through the process before. Staff were generally quite nice and seem to understand this. Especially the officers in the courtroom. Wish I had known I could bring my laptop with me and that there was a cafe at the location. Wear pants and bring coats because it gets quite cold in the courtrooms. Also, like the other user mentioned, a judge comes out at approx 9am to address the jury pool. He read one of the reviews off yelp. Overall, the worst part of the experience are the people who are huffing and puffing around angry they have to be there. We are all in this together. Chill out because your anger isn't going to make any of this go any faster. read more

I just wanted to answer some questions I had that were not 100% clear on the Court Website. The entrance to the court for jury duty is not visible from Somerset St, you have to walk into Pemberton Square with almost no signs telling you where to go. The door with Suffolk County Superior Court carved above it is the one you want. You CAN bring your phone/laptop/tablet. There is no wifi that was accessible in the jury room. I did not see any available power plugs in the main waiting room but there were plenty in the smaller "Break Room". All calls must be made in the hallway outside of the main room where the elevators are located. You can bring snacks and drinks but you must consume them in the break room not the main waiting area. There is a small coffee and snack shop right outside the main room. The whole operation was well organized. Staff kept us as informed as they could. Its a long day but it was worth it. read more

I love jury duty and when I got called I was ecstatic. Nothing more orgasmic than exercising your constitutional rights, right? Yes! When my case was settled on day 3 I was depressed, plunged into a sea of madness and desperation. I'd have to go back to work. Eat boring salads. Stare at the computer all day. Hear my boss talk. I would not deliberate. And I wouldn't sit in the juror box for hours and hours, derobing the trial lawyers in my mind. No longer would I sit on the courthouse steps in the morning, at that ungodly hour when justice prevails (around 8 am), or be led into the courtroom wearing some fabulous outfit and knowing it was me, ME, who had a life-impacting civic duty to perform. No, it was all over, baby blue. On a side note, the lead prosecutor, Mr. Leo Boyle, was amazing to watch and sexy in a civil suit, gray suit, intellectual sort of way. Apparently he's somewhat of a famed lawyer, so losing my jury duty virginity for such a Law & Order experience was priceless. If there's such a thing as a full-time juror, someone let me know. Help a sister out! read more

Went in for jury duty. It got around to 11:40 am, and I was starving, so I went to the Courthouse Cafe snack bar. Snack bar doesn't do it justice (ha ha ha). This little snack stand serves breakfast burritos, hamburgers, cold sandwiches, and a bunch of other stuff. I had a moment of panic, as I realized that it was cash only, and I routed around in my backpack for money. I came up with $2.95. I bought a hot dog with mustard for $2.50 flat, and then waited what seemed like for-ev-er for it. At least 5 minutes. As I waited I stewed, imagining that I was about to wait multiple minutes for some crappy small hot dog that I could make for $.50 at home. But that was not what I received. This was a legitimate hot dog, with a sausage that was grilled and about the diameter of a bratwurst, a toasted bun, and just enough mustard to keep it interesting. It was so delicious that I ate it before it cooled, and now the top of my mouth has a burn on it. Now, let me ask you, reader: where else in this part of town are you going to get something that could rightly be considered a meal for under $3.00? I honestly don't think you can. And certainly not this kind of fantastic hot dog. I didn't end up getting to serve, but at least I got this hot dog. read more

DIRECTIONS!!!!!!! (READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEND AN HOUR ROAMING AIMLESSLY AROUND THE STATEHOUSE...) Ok - admittedly, I am not good with directions. BUT, I live somewhat close to this courthouse, and regardless I know the area pretty darn well. I was all prepared with my Mapquest open and was walking around when I guess because I was in between some tall buildings, BOOM. No Internet. And the thing is I really thought I knew where it was 'pretty much' and that I would see it once in the area but no, it is HIDDEN, and finally the 4th person I asked - a cop - was the only one able to tell me where it is. Anyway - if these people want potential jurors to show up and on-time would it really kill them to type on their website or record on their pre-recorded juror line what I am about to tell you here? I don't think it would. In an case, read on: Simply walk up Cambridge Street from the Charles St./MGH red line stop / Whole Foods area towards City Hall (is that Bowdoin or State Street T stop you will pass on your left along the way? One of them) - the block before City Hall you will be able to take a left onto Sudbury or a right onto Somerset (don't know why the streets are called different names depending if you take it right or left, but anyway)... Take a right onto Somerset, and in about 30 seconds you will then take an almost hidden left at a tiny blue sign into a plaza-type area. The courthouse entrance is now on your right. SO simple - yet it is not on a main street. You can also continue through the Sudbury/Somserset intersection and you will arrive at the One Center Plaza on your right where the Finagle-A-Bagel and other shops are - there is a staircase here in the right you can go up that will lead you into the aforementioned plaza. (Once the Gov't. Center T stop is open again I guess this will be the closest one.) Obviously adjust these directions based on which way you are coming from. It is right there in the shadow of the state house, but that's a large building. I can definitely also say that if you take the orange line to Haymarket you can cross the street and walk directly up Sudbury and cross over Cambridge to continue up Somerset. PS: I have no review of the juror experience as I realized I technically live in Cambridge now when I got there - DOY! So I just filled out some paperwork with the very efficient employees then left. I know it says you have to get there at 8:00am SHARP but it does appear to be ok if you are a little late. read more

They have the nicest toilet paper I have used in a public place. Charmin ultra-ultra soft-soft. Who says your tax money goes down the toilet? It is a very beautiful courthouse. Come in during the first two weeks of the month, you can hear appellate arguments. Its fun. read more

FACILITIES FOR JURY DUTY Bring cash or food. They provide a great snack bar...but it is cash only. Vending machines are also only cash. There is no ATM inside, so you have to go out and then check back through security which you don't have time to do. It seems ancient that the Boston court system isn't capable of taking credit. It also would be nice for this to have been sent as a warning since in this day and age most people don't carry cash. No WiFi so plan on using your own personal HotSpot. Finally, you can't even have water in the main room you are huddled in all day. They ask you to go to a break room which is room is jam packed. I could see not allowing food...but no water or coffee again is silly. This is not a review of the juror experience...just the facilities. read more

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A REVIEW FOR THE COURT CAFE LOCATED IN THE COURTHOUSE, NOT A REVIEW OF THE SERVICES OF THE COURT OFFICERS OR ANYONE INVOLVED WITH THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. That being said, Fat G. coming in with a review of the Court Cafe. Court Cafe is the food shop they have on the second floor of the Courthouse. As soon as you exit the elevators, the Cafe is to the right of the Jury Pool room. They sell sodas, coffee, make sandwiches and other foods. There is no immediate seating area for eating. It's also cash only. I tried them for 2 days. The first day I ordered their special, which was a BBQ chicken with shredded lettuce and tomato. It was a generic sandwich with generic ingredients, and the sauce was leaking through the paper wrapping they put my sandwich in. The second day I got a breakfast pastry which looked like a cinnamon bun. It was huge, and tasted really sugary. Halfway into it, I found a dead ant on it. The prices are dirt cheap, but you get what you pay for. Check out the surrounding area and avoid this place like the plague, unless you're super-strapped for time. read more

I initially was going to put 5 stars, but then I said to myself.... This was Jury duty! So thus 4 stars!! I was looking forward to serving on a jury, maybe not as much as Sarah S., but was not picked. Next time! The introducing judge was great! Loved his stories and the yelp quote he referred to. He was very informative, I think I'll have to write a positive Yelp review also. Thanks for making it less of a burden. Your staff was hospitable and professional. For what Jury duty is perceived to be, you're doing your best to make it less of a burden. I seem to be one of the lucky few that gets picked every three years on the day for the past 30 years at the same courthouse. Thankfully I have seen continuous improvement with the jury process. Wish the building had a make over, but it is what it is. I can happily say you'e doing the best you can to make it easier on the jury pool. Thanks! read more

Save up your mobile data ahead of time, because you will have no access to wifi while you sit around in the jury pool. But you can get a toasted bagel with peanutbutter on it at the snack bar, so that's pretty cool. read more

I painted & laid the carpet tiles on every floor in this huge building when i spent a year in Boston after finishing school in 1999/00. Most kid's would do this back in the day. We worked after hours so as not to disturb the staff but would meet the staff when we arrived early or they were late. [so if you remember coming into find a lovely new office one morning, that was me..lol.. ] They were all such lovely & friendly people, the type of people who made me fall in love with Boston. I lived in Southie with 2 other Irish guy's. The tradition of spending a year working abroad before settling into life at home is a good one & i'd love to see some Boston kid's doing the same and spending a year or so out in the world. We have the safety of been a country with a hard border, unlike most of Europe that has open borders & as a result a lot of attacks on us Catholics & human traffickers can have your child gone & in another country before the cops even arrive at your home. As an E.U member state we can travel around amazing places with only a couple of hundred bucks in our pocket. But as for Boston, amazing memories & I cut my teeth as a painter & carpet fitter in Suffolk county courthouse & met the most lovely people who worked there. I'm forever grateful for this opportunity. Thank you for the hospitality shown to an Irish teenager, still wet behind the ears..lol...God Bless read more

The jury duty customer service is BEYOND RUDE. Never experienced so much sass and disrespect in my life. Please consider hiring more pleasant people. read more