These Georgia Courts Just Got Very Specific: Are You Wearing the Correct Mask?
Daily Report (January 10, 2022) - "‘Appropriate masks are N95 or KN95 masks or a disposable surgical mask covered by a cloth mask,’ read the updated Georgia Court of Appeals policy. ‘Appropriate masks are available in the Clerk’s Office.’ Rather than implement a statewide judicial emergency order, Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice encourages local level judicial management.”
Some Georgia Courts Are Returning to Virtual Proceedings—But Not This One
Daily Report (January 7, 2022) - “Some Georgia courts are pausing in person proceedings while others are resuming virtual appearances amid rising COVID cases statewide. Other judges are continuing with in person proceedings, citing continued mask wearing and adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing requirements.”
Face masks required for court in Southern Judicial Circuit of Georgia
Valdosta Today (January 6, 2022) - “According to the Southern Judicial Circuit of Georgia’s official website, face masks will once again be required in Brooks, Colquitt, Echols, Lowndes, and Thomas County courts.”
Chief Judge Reinstates COVID Restrictions at White County Courthouse
NowHabersham.com (August 23, 2021) - “COVID restrictions are back in effect at the White County courthouse. Enotah Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Raymond George reinstated the protocols citing the ‘rapid increase’ in the number of COVID-19 cases and its variants.”
Georgia courts try to keep jury trials going despite COVID-19 delta surge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (August 18, 2021) - “As the surge of COVID-19 cases fills up Georgia hospitals across Georgia, jury trials continue…”
Superior Court Will Require Masks
The Blackshear Times (August 18, 2021) - “Pierce County Superior Court proceedings will require the wearing of masks by order of Chief Superior Court Judge Dwayne Gillis.”
Courts Everywhere Are Masking Up and Watching Out Over Delta Variant Spread
Law.com (August 2, 2021) - “With more Americans getting vaccinated and COVID-19 cases dropping in some parts of the country, courthouses have been trying to get back to normal. Jury trials resumed, masks were sometimes no longer required (for the vaccinated at least) and judges began chipping away at backlogged dockets.
The spread of the Delta variant, however, is causing some courts to make changes. Some federal courts have reinstated masking and social distancing requirements. Others are weighing what to do next amid a spike in cases and new guidance from the CDC on vaccinated people wearing masks indoors.”
Can We Talk? Eyeing COVID-Clogged Dockets, Judges Push Civil Cases to Settle
Law.com (July 30, 2021) - As judges around the country gingerly reopen their courtrooms and invite lawyers, litigants and jurors back for business—sometimes as usual, but often still far from the normal routines of years past—they’re being confronted by an array of pitfalls, real and potential…
But one very real dilemma is already on their minds: Backlogs of criminal, civil and domestic cases that have piled up, exacerbating already crowded dockets where litigants and lawyers jostle to get motions filed, rulings issued and, toughest of all, cases tried…
The reality of a trial date that all parties can count on happening is the most crucial “hammer” driving serious negotiations.
Adam Malone of Atlanta’s Malone Law, president-elect of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, said that while “issues with resuming jury trials differ from courthouse to courthouse,” judges “are urging now, as they did pre-pandemic, that the parties work together to resolve with each other by mediation or some other form of alternative dispute resolution, but not with undue pressure.”
“The most effective and efficient way to reduce the civil backlog is to urge mediation together with notice of a trial date no matter how distant. Short of those steps, early and swift rulings on pending motions will make ADR options far more productive,” Malone said. “Resolving as many questions as can be resolved short of a jury trial is the second best way to reduce civil backlog.”
Lowndes County courts require masks again
Valdosta Daily Times (July 30, 2021) - “Southern Judicial Circuit is requiring masks again, county officials said Friday in a statement.”
Hall County Courts Reinstating Mask Mandate
The Gainesville Times (July 30, 2021) - Amid rising COVID-19 case counts at Northeast Georgia Health System, the Hall County courthouse is reinstating its mask mandate “for all courtroom proceedings regardless of a person’s vaccination status.”
CDC reverses indoor mask policy, saying fully vaccinated people and kids should wear them indoors
CNBC (July 27, 2021)
Opinion: Getting Back to Business of Justice, Jury Trials in Georgia
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (June 26, 2021) - Justice needs jurors. If you are called to jury duty, we will do our part to keep you and your loved ones as safe as we can. We of course encourage you to get the vaccine, as we have encouraged our courthouse judges and staff.
In addition, working with medical experts, we’ve established rigorous safety protocols for our courthouses, courtrooms, and jury spaces.
So please serve as a juror if you are called and talk about it with your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and others. We need you.
Thank you in advance for helping us get back to the business of justice.
Order in Georgia courtrooms to gavel back in as in-person hearings restart
Georgia Recorder (June 9, 2021) - “There will be some noticeable safety procedures followed inside downtown Atlanta’s Judicial Center that houses the Supreme Court and state Court of Appeals. Named for former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, the courthouse was dedicated in February 2020 just before the state shut down to fight COVID-19. They’re following the reopening guidelines created by the state Judicial Council, which offers recommendations to keep staff, attorneys, jurors, and visitors safe while inside courthouses.”
“JUSTICE NEEDS JURORS”
Globe Newswire (March 18, 2021) - “In a new set of public service announcements (PSAs), Chief Justice Harold D. Melton of the Supreme Court of Georgia reminds citizens of their critical role in ensuring justice for all by serving as jurors when called for jury duty.”
Judges Practice for Return of Georgia Jury Trials
Daily Report (March 17, 2021) - “‘What lawyers will notice right away is everybody’s wearing a mask and everybody has to speak a little more clearly, and there’s plexiglass everywhere,’ said Chief Judge Penny Haas Freesemann of the Eastern Judicial Circuit, which is comprised solely of Chatham County.”
What Can Lawyers Expect As Georgia Jury Trials Resume? It Depends.
Daily Report (March 17, 2021) - “Plans to resume jury trials in Georgia are gaining momentum, with some circuits looking to restart in late March or early April.”
Chief Justice Allows Jury Trials to Begin Anew During Pandemic
AJC (March 9, 2021) - “Judges can now allow trials to be held “if that can be done safely” and in accordance with plans developed to protect all involved, said a judicial emergency order signed by Chief Justice Harold Melton of the Supreme Court of Georgia.”
Chief Justice Orders Jury Trials Back - Again
Daily Report (March 9, 2021) - “‘The Chief Judge of each trial court is authorized, in his or her discretion, to summon new trial jurors and to resume jury trials, if that can be done safely,’ Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton said…”
'Now Is Not The Time To Stop Wearing A Mask,' Says CDC Director Rochelle Walensky
NPR (March 3, 2021) - "I will say, though, that the reason that I mask is not because my governor tells me so," she added. "The reason I mask is because I know it protects myself, it protects my loved ones, it protects my neighbors and my community, so I think everybody is empowered to do the right thing and to put the mask on."
Still No Jury Trials, But Maybe Next Month…
The Daily Report (Feb. 8, 2021) “Assuming that conditions generally continue to improve, it is anticipated that the next extension order on March 9 will authorize superior and state courts, in their discretion, to resume jury trials as local conditions allow," Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton said in his latest COVID-19 emergency order.
Chief Justice Reiterates that Mask Protocols Must Be Enforced In Court
The Daily Report (Nov. 23, 2020) - Chief Justice Harold Melton told members of the state Judicial Council during an emergency meeting Monday “to urge your brothers and sisters on the bench throughout the state to continue to remain careful and diligent of safety protocols” intended to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
As Georgia Courthouses Reopen Amid COVID-19 Spike, Trial Lawyers Organize Mask Up Fundraiser
The Daily Report (Nov. 13, 2020) - As courts other states deal with the challenges of resuming trials, Georgia lawyers are looking to reduce spread by making more masks available. The effort has raised $50,000 since September.
Masks Also Protect the Wearer, CDC Announces
The Washington Post (Nov. 11, 2020) - Wearing a mask protects you, not only those around you, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a significant update to its guidance on face coverings.
‘Unchartered Territory’: Georgia Trial Lawyers Prepare to Resume Jury Trials
The Daily Report (Oct. 30, 2020) - Civil and criminal trial lawyers generally agree that jury trials need to resume. They also remain wary of virtual trials, citing the need to see jurors’ faces unencumbered by opaque masks.
Chief Justice Wants YOU To Serve Pandemic Jury Duty
The Daily Report (Oct. 28, 2020) - “I’m asking for your help,” Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton says. “Justice needs jurors.”
New Judicial Emergency Order Lifts COVID Suspension of Jury Trials
The Daily Report (Oct. 12, 2020) - “The right to a trial by a jury of our fellow citizens, in both civil and criminal cases, is fundamental to the American justice system," Chief Justice Harold Melton said. "To delay that process has made a difficult time more difficult for everybody involved."
Mask Mandates Can Almost Halve COVID-19 Infections, Study Says
The New York Post (Oct. 12, 2020) - The data “showed ‘clear evidence that wearing a mask can have a significant impact on the spread of COVID-19,’ the study said.”
Plaintiffs and Defense Bars Unite for Courthouse Mask Fundraiser
The Daily Report (Sept. 29, 2020) - “The state’s plaintiffs and defense bars have united for a fundraiser to provide masks and other protective gear to Georgia courthouses, as the resumption of jury trials draws closer.”
Georgia Eyes Resuming In-Person Jury Trials as Soon as November
The Daily Report (Sept. 25, 2020) - Per the Daily Report, the “likely restoration of in-person jury trials comes as Georgia still grapples with the spread of COVID-19.”
Fauci Cautions That a COVID-19 Vaccine Won’t Eliminate the Need for Masks & Public Health Measures
CNN (Sept. 24, 2020) - Per CNN, Dr. Fauci said that “that even an effective Covid-19 vaccine won't replace the need for other public health measures, such as wearing a mask, social distancing and washing hands.”
Judiciary Considers Legislation to Alter Speedy Trial Statute
The Daily Report (Sept. 23, 2020) - Per The Daily Report, the “state Supreme Court's chief justice says the question is whether the courts need legislative help to reconcile health and safety guidelines for juries with pent-up speedy trial demands that have been tolled since March.”
GTLA and GDLA Announce Mask Up for Justice! Joint Fundraising Project to Help Courthouses Safely Reopen
Mask Up For Justice (Sept. 21, 2020)
CDC Director Says Masks More Guaranteed to Work Than a Vaccine
The Hill (Sept. 16, 2020) - “‘We have clear scientific evidence they work, I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine, because the immunogenicity may be 70 percent and if I don't get an immune response, the vaccine's not going to protect me, this face mask will,’ Redfield said.”
Green Light for Grand Juries In New Judicial Emergency Order
The Daily Report (Sept. 10, 2020) - “‘The first big feature is a green light on grand jury proceedings—at the discretion of the circuits,’ Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton said.”
Courts Dramatically Rethink the Jury Trial in the Era of Coronavirus
The Washington Post (July 31, 2020) - Per The Washington Post, courts “face the tricky balancing act of protecting the health of jurors who are compelled by the law to serve, while also providing the constitutionally mandated right to a speedy and public trial to tens of thousands of defendants, some of whom have languished in jail for months awaiting their day in court.”
“‘The biggest takeaway is that it’s possible, it’s just going to be super expensive,’ said attorney Anna Dvorchik, who said just the costs of cleaning courtrooms between proceedings would be a major issue.”