Discovering Justice - The Courthouse


	The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse serves as headquarters for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The building houses two courtrooms for the Court of Appeals and 25 courtrooms for the District Court, as well as 40 judges' chambers, a Circuit law library, the office of a
		U.S. Congressman, offices for the U.S. Attorney, and extensive support facilities for the U.S. Marshals Service and Pre-Trial and Probation services. The Courtrooms themselves are distinguished by a motif of large arches defined by wood moldings and stenciled ornament, dignifying equally all the participants-judge, jury, witness, litigants, lawyers, spectators-in the proceedings that take place therein. The John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse has played a key role in rejuvenating the redevelopment of Fan Pier and Fort Point Channel. The City of Boston is preparing plans for the Seaport District, anchored by the new Courthouse, that will become a new business, commercial and residential center. The project
	created 1,500 construction jobs over its four-year construction period and generated over $100 million of spending in local labor and businesses; specifically, the project generated $23 million in revenues for women-owned businesses, $17 million to minority-owned businesses, and $47 million to small businesses overall. The operating costs for the building will be nearly $3 million annually, providing a continued contribution to the growth of the local economy. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Architects, LLP (New York) in association with Jung/Brannen Associates, Inc. (Boston) were the Design Architects and Associate Architects of the U.S. Courthouse; Clark Construction Group, Inc., (Boston) served as general contractor. In April 2001, the United States Courthouse was rededicated to honor Congressman John Joseph Moakley. Congressman John "Joe" Moakley dedicated virtually all of his life to public service. At the age of fifteen, sheet metal student Joe Moakley quit South Boston High School to enlist in the U.S. Navy and served honorably in the South Pacific. After World War II, Congressman Moakley attended Newman Preparatory School and the University of Miami before graduating from Suffolk Law School. Joe Moakley served in both Houses of the Massachusetts Legislature, having been elected to the House in 1952, and to the Senate in 1964. He was elected Boston City Councilor At Large in 1971, and to the U.S. Congress in 1972, where he served until his death in 2001. In 1989, Congressman Moakley was appointed Chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee and served as its Ranking Democratic Member from 1995-2001. Congressman Moakley was truly a bread and butter Democrat, and remained fiercely loyal to his constituents throughout his career. His courage, compassion, and devotion to preserving human decency and the rights of the downtrodden led him, through a constituent meeting in Jamaica Plain, to El Salvador, where Joe Moakley brought to justice the murderers of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. Congressman John Joseph Moakley was an inspiration and a brilliant example to anyone who aspires to improve the human spirit.