Richmond chief judge orders increased security at courthouse

Richmond Circuit Court Chief Judge Jacqueline S. McClenney has ordered increased security presence at the John Marshall Courts Building in downtown Richmond, citing recent security breaches.

Entered June 12 and effective June 15, McClenney’s standing order requires three sheriff’s deputies assigned to serve in courtrooms where judges are presiding over a criminal docket and two deputies assigned to serve in courtrooms where a judge is presiding over a civil docket.

McClenney wrote in a footnote that the order impacts the building itself, including the Richmond Circuit Court and General District Court.

The chief judge said in a second footnote that recent events led to the issuance of this order.

“Entry of this order is based on multiple security incidents impacting Courthouse staff, including but not limited to a burglary, escape of an inmate, and attack on Court personnel,” McClenney wrote.

In a June 18 news release, Richmond Circuit Court Clerk Edward F. Jewett provided further detail on the “increasing number of security incidents in the John Marshall Courts Building” highlighted by McClenney.

“Over the last several months, there has been fighting in the public corridors, an overnight break in, an escape from custody by a defendant and an attack by a defendant on court personnel,” Jewett said in a statement then. “The judges are concerned about the safety of the public, the members of the bar and court staff.”

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on May 8 that an inmate escaped custody at the courthouse and was on the run for approximately an hour, leading to a brief lockdown of the nearby Blackwell Elementary School.

Earlier this spring, The Richmonder reported that a man was arrested at gunpoint in March for breaking into the John Marshall Courts Building, smashing the foyer glass door and entering the courthouse in the middle of the night.

The standing order comes on the heels of a show cause order filed by the Richmond Circuit Court judges on May 6 against members of Richmond City Council that compelled the body to show “why a mandamus should not issue, commanding them to cause the Court Facilities to be made secure, put in good repair, and rendered otherwise safe, and to cause the necessary work to be done.”

The show cause order followed through on a 2025 letter the judges sent to City Council outlining concerns about the aging building and warning that legal action may be taken if steps were not taken to address the concerns in the existing building or replace the 51-year-old courthouse.

Per the letter, the courthouse faces issues beyond security vulnerabilities, including HVAC and plumbing issues and noncompliance with federal disability law.

The City of Richmond has budgeted $15.6 million for building renovation in the upcoming fiscal year to address some of the concerns, while the city has been debating a replacement complex in recent years that is estimated to cost approximately $300 million.

On June 8, Richmond City Council voted to appoint a citizen panel to consult with the body on next steps for Richmond’s court facilities.

“We encourage the city administration to continue working with all the stakeholders to develop and fund the personnel and the building improvements needed to make the courthouses in the city of Richmond safe once again,” Jewett said via press release.