April 29, 2020 - Bulletin No. 4

Prosecutors' offices and court systems across the nation are being impacted by COVID-19. Their daily work to maintain constitutional justice is being uprooted, altered, and halted. CNA and NDAA have partnered to actively develop and disseminate useful COVID-19 response resources to prosecutors and courts to support them during this trying time. This weekly bulletin shares helpful information and resources, as well as upcoming virtual networking events.

Useful Resources

Remote Work and Court Room Proceedings: Q&A On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, we hosted a virtual discussion on remote work and court room proceedings. During this event, we received a number of questions that we did not have time to answer. We have compiled those questions in this document. To view the full webinar, click here. The speakers also provided the following resources, as follow-up to the virtual discussion: Gloucester County Prosecutor's letter disputing the court’s decision to conduct virtual hearings Training from the San Diego District Attorney’s Office to support prosecutorial staff working from home Information on iTether Technologies Information about Adobe and DocuSign to assist with virtual signatures Livestreams of some Michigan courts' daily proceedings, including the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan and the 36th District Court  Access the full document  here.

Webinar: Extremist Activity in the COVID-19 Environment During this global pandemic, many prosecutors’ offices and courts are confronting COVID-19 related hate crimes. To better understand these offenses, the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) Center on Extremism will provide the latest information on how extremists are using COVID-19 to advance their hateful agendas. This includes promoting conspiracy theories about the virus, disrupting virtual meetings with threatening messages or hate speech, and helping organize or participating in some protests about COVID-19 restrictions. Please join us for this webinar on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, from 3-3:45 PM EDT to learn more about these extremists’ latest tactics and activities, both in the real world and online . Registration information is forthcoming.

Webinar: Still a Priority – Prosecuting Technology-Facilitated Crimes Against Children During a Pandemic Online child exploitation was increasing before the COVID-19 crisis, and reports of these incidents have greatly escalated since this outbreak. Investigation and prosecution of technology-facilitated crimes against children must be prioritized in this new era. This webinar, presented by Robert J. Peters, Senior Attorney of the Zero Abuse Project, will review pertinent challenges, discuss best practices for prosecutorial response, and provide practical guidance to practitioners. Please join us for this webinar on Monday, May 11, 2020 from 1-2:30 PM EDT . Registration information is forthcoming.

Webinar: Conducting and Defending in Court a Pandemic-Era Forensic Interview In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, adjustments have been made to conducting in-person forensic interviews and, in some instances, tele-forensic interviews are being used. In this webinar, presenters will discuss modifications being made across the country to the forensic interview process and provide app roaches to antic ipate defense attacks to these forensic interviews. Presenters Rita Farrell and Victor Vieth of the Zero Abuse Project will also offer practical guidance for defending these interviews in court. Please join us for this webinar on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 1-2:30 PM EDT . Registration information is forthcoming.

Innovative Responses Hawaii The Hawaii Supreme Court has ordered judicial system officials to comply more quickly with its' decision to release nonviolent inmates due to the COVID-19 pandemic For more information, click here . Atlanta, Georgia The municipal courts in Atlanta have begun strategizing about how to open again after being closed for a month. They are currently deciding what health measures to put in place, what new technologies to implement, and more. For more information, click here . Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County courts, the largest court system in the nation, launched a program to conduct arraignments via video. There will be 32 courtrooms within 17 courthouses involved to begin. For more information, click here .

From NDAA  District Attorney Offices’ Response to COVID-19 (Updated Weekly) Coronavirus's Collateral Damage: Abused and Neglected Children Maintaining Peace within the Storm Legal Briefs Podcast #4: A Conversation with The Marshall Project’s Keri Blakinger and COVID-19’s Impact Prosecutors Balance Public Safety with Compassion in Response to COVID-19 Protecting Victims of Intimate Partner Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Asked and Answered  Are there issues with conducting certain trials via teleconference? Various issues have been raised about the use of teleconference for trials. One worry is the potential for witness and victim intimidation. Others have pointed out the shaky optics of having a defendant appear in a jail uniform. Christine Hoffman, acting prosecutor in Gloucester County, New Jersey, objected to the handling of domestic violence trials via teleconference in this letter. In a forthcoming podcast, she and Nelson Bunn (NDAA) will discuss this further.

We want to hear from you! If you would like to submit questions or have other concerns, please email us at covid19_courts@cna.org .

COVID-19-related news articles and resources, and past bulletins will be posted on the NDAA website . Continue to check the website for updated information.

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