One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Facing Coronavirus, Courts Balancing Justice And Safety In Move To Video Hearings
Riverside County public defender Paulette Norman prepares for a remote court hearing from home. (Courtesy of Paulette Norman)
How do you balance the demands of justice with the need to protect defendants, lawyers and judges from COVID-19?
Courts in the greater L.A. area and across the state have turned to an imperfect alternative: remote video proceedings.
The California Judicial Council now allows courts to conduct most preliminary hearings in criminal cases remotely, through an attorney or via teleconference.
Riverside County claims it’s one of the first in the state to go entirely remote through a video conferencing system called CourtCall.
L.A. County - the largest court system in the country - has started piloting remote access in a few courtrooms at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center and the Pomona Courthouse South, a courts spokeswoman told us.
Many L.A. courtrooms are closed, but some remain open for arraignments and other hearings.
Sponsored message
That has prompted prosecutors and defense attorneys to take the rare step of joining the same side -- they’ve criticized the county for keeping some courts open and for not having enough distancing or cleaning supplies.
One deputy DA told us she starts off her mornings at the Compton courthouse by wiping down her table, her chairs, and the door handles with her personal stash of Clorox wipes. Then she passes the wipes around the room.
“We’re all anxious,” she said. “I feel like we’re doing work that we shouldn't be doing.”
“That's not what the Constitution envisioned when it discusses a valid and ethical defense,” he said.
"It was so impossible to keep social distancing" in court, she said.
READ MORE:
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
