Visit the Court
Description of the Virtual Tour
Main Courtroom
This is a 360-degree virtual tour. The view is from the middle of the room.
This view shows the main courtroom flooded with natural light from its six tall windows. Additional light comes from a central chandelier and from track lighting fixtures. The courtroom has walnut-panelled walls and bright red carpeting. It has black walnut furnishings, with red leather armchairs.
The entrance faces the judges’ bench, which has nine red leather chairs. Behind the bench, the Coat of Arms of Canada can be seen above the mahogany double doors that lead to the Judges’ Conference Room. On either side, a shell-shaped lamp is mounted on the wall and a state-of-the-art camera films lawyers as they address the Court from the imposing wooden lectern located in the middle of the room directly in front of the judges.
The judges’ platform sweeps in an elegant curve. Its walls are made of walnut, and its base, of marble. Two Canadian flags stand one at each end. Work tables for two court attendants can be seen to one side of the platform, and tables for the Registry Officer and another court attendant face them on the other side of the room.
Behind the lectern, four double rows of tables and chairs are reserved for counsel, each of whom has a computer monitor. Along one of the side walls is a table for law clerks, and along the opposite wall is another table of equal size reserved for representatives of the media. Two 50-inch plasma screen televisions are mounted on each side wall.
Several benches reserved for the public can be seen behind a balustrade. On either side of the double entrance doors, which are three metres high and have bronze knobs and handles, a state-of-the-art camera is mounted on a light-coloured walnut panel. An electric clock designed by Cormier himself is mounted over the doors and under a crown resting on a red cushion. On either side of the doors, a shell-shaped lamp can be seen above a window; one of the windows is that of the audiovisual booth, while the other is that of the interpretation booth.
