Volunteers who monitor courts across the country say they are getting little access to online-only proceedings.
The New York Office of Court Administration noted that the monitors in the courthouse satisfy the need for public access in these emergency circumstances. "The purpose of our going virtual is for the health and safety of all involved in the proceedings: Judge, attorneys, court staff, security and litigants. All other protocols remain the same," said spokesperson Lucian Chalfen.
He said hearings are not being posted on a wide online platform, like YouTube, because the court could not prevent people from recording them or rebroadcasting them on their own--restrictions judges often impose during regular times, in New York and across the country.
At the same time, going to the courthouse to watch proceedings on a monitor would arguably put observers in violation of the statewide "stay home" order, and of course, at risk of contracting the virus.
***
Leave a comment