Editor's Page.

• Date: 01 January 2022
• Author: Parkerson, Christopher B.

The news on the COVID-19 front has not been great over the past few months and courts around the country are once again postponing jury trials and going back to remote hearings and conferences. This is a prudent and necessary course of action because it protects the health and safety of court personnel, lawyers, parties, and jurors. While the safeguards being put in place are important, they must be as temporary as possible to accomplish the goals of safety while still allowing access to justice as well as the formal setting of appearing in a courtroom in front of a judge. Appearances in court via Zoom or Teams is fine for a temporary band-aid while science and health policy catch up to some of the unknowns of COVID-19, but there needs to be some urgency in getting back to business as usual in courthouses- even if that business requires additional safeguards and procedures.

We have all seen the viral videos of lawyers and witnesses making errors during remote hearings...