DETROIT (WXYZ) — Frank Murphy Hall of Justice is where victims of crime and their loved ones came looking for the only kind of justice they might receive. It's also where others hoped truth would pave the way for their freedom. And it was where attorneys for the prosecution and defense proved they had what it took to make a career in criminal law.
Drone video: Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit
Now, after nearly 55 years in Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, located in Greektown, Michigan's Third Judicial Circuit Court is moving to the new Wayne County Criminal Justice Center at 5301 Russell Street in Detroit.
"There's a lot of history here. I'm really sad," said defense attorney Gabi Silver who met her husband, attorney David Cripps, inside Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.
"Frank Murphy is like a big family," said Cripps. "Even though we were contentious, fighting it out with judges and prosecutors, there was still a sense of community and I hope that transfers over to the new courthouse."
Timothy Kenny spent 20 years as a prosecuting attorney before spending the next 26 years on the bench.
"Rather than missing the building itself, I think we'll miss a lot of the characters, whether they were on the bench or whether they were, arguing in front of juries, they'll be missed," said Kenny, who retired from his position as Chief Judge in December 2022.
Over the years, there were criminal justice issues in nine cases that took place in Frank Murphy Hall of Justice that went on to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kenny said, "I think that's pretty surprising for a city our size to have that many cases that merited the United States Supreme Court saying this is an issue we need to resolve."
Before criminal cases in the city of Detroit merged with county cases, it was Recorder's Court. Prominent defense attorney Cornelius Pitts remembers the change as one of a few Black lawyers in the sixties.
"When I first started there was only one Black judge, all the other judges had these racial attitudes that existed although they tried to submerge them or suppress them to a certain extent but deep down you knew that it existed. So you had to be extremely careful not to evoke the ire or their wrath of the judge, but you had to also be true.. and voice what your feelings were."
Pitts added that his confidence did not allow for anyone else's preconceived notions to get to him and he knows judges learned to respect that.
Pitts son, Byron Pitts, often followed him to court as a child and he would later follow in his footsteps becoming a criminal defense attorney himself.
As for missing any parts of the building that was Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, Pitts said no.
"I don't have an appreciation of aesthetics to that extent. The building doesn't make a difference to me. It's who's inside the building and how they talk and how they react. That's what I'm concerned about," Pitts said with a grin. "Aesthetically? I couldn't care less."
