BANNING - (INT) - The Inland Empire's newest courthouse opened Monday.

The Banning Justice Center houses six courtrooms, prisoner holding cells, a jury assembly room and several other areas for the support staff.

The courthouse replaces an outgrown two-courtroom facility situated on a 5-acre site on East Ramsey Street that eventually will become the Banning Civic Center.

Judge Mark Cope has led the effort for the courthouse. "We are grateful to him and to the staff of the Judicial Council of California for the time and effort they put into making this project a success for decades to come," Riverside County Superior Court Presiding Judge Harold Hopp said.

Story Date: May 7, 2015