Court Functions Complicated by Coronavirus Playing Catch-Up

How will the legal system balance public health concerns with due process in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic? Chief Judges have had to rethink how day-to-day business gets done. 

Dan Glazier, Executive Director of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, is concerned about how disadvantaged groups will be affected by courts turning to virtual platforms. 

"Our clients, those who are on the economic edge, they don't have access to that technology," says Glazier, who also tells KMOX he's concerned about how evidence and questioning witnesses might be handled in a virtual court setting.  In-person, he wonders if cues will be lost when someone wears a face on the stand.   

Experts tell us the legal system may be working to catch up for the next year. Criminal trials likely won't resume in many jurisdictions until July or August, and some dockets are on hold until the fall. A flood of new cases is likely on the way.

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