Brookdale Courthouse Impacted by Southdale Closure
A Hennepin County court closure will impact local courthouses.
The Southdale Courthouse in Edina is slated to close Feb. 1. Officials say the 45-year-old building is inadequate and will eventually be demolished. It means courthouses at Brookdale in Brooklyn Center and Ridgedale in Minnetonka, as well as the downtown Minneapolis courthouse, will pick up the slack.
“There are cases that are now going to be heard downtown at the government center,” says Chief Judge Ivy Bernhardson of Hennepin County District Court. “Cases that will move there include some of the suburbs. Bloomington, Richfield and the Metropolitan Airports Commission will move downtown. Then jurisdictions that had been at Southdale, some went to Ridgedale and then some had to come to Brookdale to even out the case volume we have.”
Brookdale Adding Third Courtroom
The Southdale closure will have a domino effect. Cases from Golden Valley, Plymouth, and Maple Grove are moving to Brookdale. A new courtroom at Brookdale is being built to get ready for the Feb. 4 changeover. Chief Judge Ivy Bernhardson says the changes will not increase any caseloads for judges.
“We have three teams of five judges that handle the three suburban court locations,” said Judge Bernhardson. “One of those judges will be here two days a week and then downtown three days a week. That way, there should not be a change in how the cases are handled here.”
Officials did add that you can pay fines at any courthouse. If you do have court and aren’t sure of the location, you can call 612-348-2040 to find out where your case will be heard.
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