The union representing Quebec's special constables took the government to court Monday, seeking a judgment that would bolster their numbers across the province.
Special constables have long argued that there are too few of them at the province's courthouses, where they are increasingly being replaced by private security.
They first filed the action against the province in June 2016, calling on the government to reverse that trend.
A union representative said in an interview Monday that more constables would help put an end to situations like the shooting of a young man at the courthouse Maniwaki, Que., last week.
Quebec's bureau of independent investigations is probing the altercation between a special constable working alone at the Maniwaki courthouse and an 18-year-old man.
The man was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the head following the scuffle with the constable, part of which was caught on film.