May 12, 2020 - Bulletin No. 6
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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.
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Registration Now Available
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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 anticipate 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
.
Register for the webinar
here.
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Extremist Activity in the COVID-19 Environment: Q&A
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, we hosted a webinar on extremist activity in the COVID-19 environment. During this event, we received a number of questions that we did not have time to answer. We have compiled those questions, along with other related resources, in this document. To view the full webinar, click
here.
Access the document
here.
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Coming Soon
Podcast: Virtual Domestic Violence Contempt Trials
Nelson Bunn, Executive Director of the NDAA, sat down with Christine A. Hoffman, the Acting Prosecutor of Gloucester County, New Jersey to discuss the
letter
she wrote disputing the Gloucester County court’s decision to conduct domestic violence contempt trials virtually. This podcast will be available on Apple, Spotify, and Google Play next week.
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Innovative Responses
Mississippi
The Mississippi Supreme Court is allowing counties that had two or fewer reported COVID-19 deaths as of May 6 to begin the process of calling people for jury duty. For more information, click
here
.
New Jersey
Beginning May 11, municipal courts in New Jersey will resume operations via teleconference or video. For more information, click
here
.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Chief Justice announced the formation of a COVID-19 task force for the Judicial Branch. The group will be tasked with recommending emergency directives and policy changes related to the pandemic.
For more information, click
here
.
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Asked and Answered
Are there potential issues with conducting grand juries virtually?
Various issues have been raised about remote grand juries. There are concerns about constitutionality, privacy, and the implementation process. On the other hand, grand juries serve the important purpose of ensuring that individuals are not charged arbitrarily. Weighing this information, Christine A. Hoffman, acting prosecutor in Gloucester County, New Jersey, objected to conducting grand juries virtually in this
memo.
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Help Us Help You
Last week, readers have responded to a poll requesting information on how they'd like to return to work when the courts re-open -- the results are below.
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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
.
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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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