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Law360 (May 12, 2020, 8:26 PM EDT) -- The Judicial Council of California said Tuesday it has started a Pandemic Continuity of Operations Working Group to study best practices and publish a framework for the state's 58 superior courts to keep the judicial system operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group includes 22 superior court presiding judges and court executive officers from around the state, and plans to publish best practices and guidance learned from other jurisdictions by early June, the council said.
Like other court systems around the country, the state's superior courts have been operating under a series of emergency orders issued due to the pandemic, including a March 23 order suspending all jury trials for 60 days.
"Our court system, like the rest of state government, must continue to serve the public during an unprecedented pandemic," Judicial Council Administrative Director Martin Hoshino said in a statement. "The working group will provide a road map for trial courts by reviewing best practices and creating a template and tool kits that different-sized courts can use as they serve the public during the pandemic and beyond."
The announcement comes after Los Angeles County Superior Court Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile said Saturday that all the court's bench officers such as judges and commissioners will be required to wear face masks in public areas inside courthouses and in courtrooms. Court employees were already required to masks inside the courthouse.
"The court is committed to protecting the health and safety of the public, attorneys, justice partners, judicial officers and employees," Judge Brazile said Saturday. "Most medical and health care experts recommend the use of face coverings during this pandemic. Paired with the protocols for social distancing, we can help to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our courthouses and communities."
The LA Superior Court has postponed all civil trials until at least June 22.
The launch of the California pandemic group also comes after the Judicial Council and California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye reduced jail populations, suspended evictions and judicial foreclosures, allowed remotely conducted pretrial hearings and took other measures to help curb the spread of the virus, the Judicial Council said.
The Judicial Council also noted that Hoshino and Justice Cantil-Sakauye are taking part in a "Post-Pandemic Planning Initiative" led by the National Center for State Courts, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators, which will conduct a nationwide analysis of judiciaries and give guidance to courts on how to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.
--Editing by Alanna Weissman.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
