The jury room on the 26th floor of the Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse has the feel of a multimillion-dollar Manhattan penthouse apartment … this is where 12 jurors and 6 alternates report for duty each day before going into the courtroom to hear testimony in the case of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Staffers from the Executive Administrator’s Office at the SDNY United States Courts gave TMZ a tour.
The courtroom is one of six “special proceedings” courtrooms inside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. The courtroom carpet is blue with a gold pattern — an original from 1995, when the building opened.
The carpet brand is Axminster, the same grade, quality, and weight as what’s in the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. There are matching custom drapes in a deep blue. The courtroom and jury room is filled with wooden features and furniture in mahogany and cherry wood finish.
The jury room has tables set up in a circular array where they will eventually begin their deliberations in the case. While in the jury box, jurors have their backs to giant windows facing lower Manhattan and the East River. Sometimes, during sidebar breaks, jurors on the back row turn to look out. Others are clock-watchers, keeping an eye on the wall clock in the back of the courtroom.
They come and go from the courtroom via their own hallway that leads back to the jury room. Inside is a mini-fridge and a small microwave, as well as restrooms. The men’s room visited by TMZ has two sinks, a stall, and a urinal. Lunch is delivered daily from the courthouse cafeteria on the 8th floor. Jurors are given a menu in the morning to select what they want. We are told Taco Tuesday was quite popular this past week.
The courtroom is home to a giant fabric tapestry created by New York artist Sheila Hicks. It’s never been cleaned, because it’s very delicate. One staffer joked it really belongs in the Museum of Modern Art.
The art piece was introduced as a part of both an acoustics and a security measure. Years ago, the window behind where the judge sits was considered to be a safety issue because of possible snipers. So, a decision was made to install a smoked glass fixture behind the bench.
The problem was that when the sun hit the smoked glass, the judge ended up having a halo around his head, and it became a running joke in the courthouse. The chief judge at the time, Thomas P Grisea, contacted artist Hicks to design the tapestry.
