A review of 2012 courthouse security data reports shows lawyers and judges sometimes in the crosshairs: A criminal defendant punched his defense lawyer in the face, a man threatened to shoot counsel and deputies arrested two attorneys for bringing guns into the courthouse.
Since 2008, the Texas Office of Court Administration (OCA) has required Texas counties to submit courthouse security data. It’s clear from the fiscal year 2012 data that most security incidents occur in state district courts, and many are connected to criminal and family law cases. Although physical assaults do occur, security incidents more commonly involve disorderly behavior, taking a weapon into a courthouse or threats.
