In his annual report on year-end, Supreme Court Justice John Roberts praised how courts across the U.S. have responded to the coronavirus pandemic and the ‘unsung heroes’ that have moved the judicial branch into a mostly virtual system.
The pandemic forced nationwide court closures in March. In April, judges performed court functions from their home offices or ‘kitchen tables’, Roberts wrote in his seven-page report. As court hearings became virtual, judges quickly, “or at least eventually,” became familiar with a wide variety of audio and video conferencing tools. “
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In this January 16, file photo Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts, walks to the Senate Hall at the Capitol in Washington. Roberts praised state and federal courts in his year-end report. (AP Photo / Matt Rourke, File)
Roberts praised the judges of the country for “working with court staff to allow participants to virtual hearings, manage the orderly flow of work, and ensure that public access does not endanger public health.”
In an assessment of the legal process, Roberts also suggested that staff and judges’ consider new approaches to submitting documents and maintaining information. A lot of this work is not glamorous, but it is essential and it has been done. ‘
Many courtrooms have been creatively reconfigured to apply social distance measures, such as certain courts installing plexiglass for protection. In some states, such as Michigan and Florida, judges have held pervasive naturalizations while ceremonies have been moved to Iowa and Minnesota, Roberts noted.
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Roberts also mentioned that America’s first chief justice, John Jay, adjourned the Supreme Court – then in Philadelphia – in 1793 because of the yellow fever pandemic that killed 5,000 of the city’s 50,000 residents.
Supreme Court hearings were also canceled again with the outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1918, he said.