Civil courtrooms at Chicago's Daley Center — part of the nation’s second-largest court system — could be closed for security reasons in the days surrounding the NATO and G-8 meetings.

Temporarily shutting down the courtrooms would be a “smart move” to keep judges, jurors and attorneys safe, said Frank Bilecki, a spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff’s office, which provides security for the Daley Center’s courtrooms.

One of the first protest permits issued by the city sets the stage for a massive march May 19 from the Daley Center’s plaza to McCormick Place, where President Barack Obama and other world leaders will meet May 19-21.

“There are discussions about closing the courtrooms at the Daley Center. It would be a smart move for security reasons — not just for the staff, but for people who have court cases, have jury duty and those who have to come and testify,” Bilecki said.

“If the protesters are going to be set up downtown and there’s an incident and people can’t get to their court cases or people can’t get there to provide a fair and impartial jury, it can delay a court case and cause problems. Parking and public transportation could be impacted. Maybe the better decision is to close the courts for a few days,” Bilecki said.