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Taylor: Court Institutes Normalization Plan
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Superior Court is edging toward resumption of customary operations of its criminal departments as the pandemic subsides, Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor said yesterday.
The court chief announced the launching of a Normalization of Operations Work (“N.O.W.”) plan. Taylor said:
“N.O.W. signifies a shift in the Court’s pandemic recovery. After nearly two years, COVID case trends are moving in the right direction in Los Angeles County.
“In early October, the Court moved away from reliance on emergency orders and continuances to manage our Criminal caseload. As part of this new approach, the N.O.W. plan will enable the Court to identify and address stress points in pandemic-era Criminal case processing and shift to solutions that will expedite and expand our efforts to safely return to pre-pandemic norms.”
Taylor said the court has adhered to official health guidelines, adding:
“We have also provided remote courtroom appearance technology in each of our 600 courtrooms and convenient remote service options—all of which have helped to protect the public, justice partners, judicial officers and staff by reducing in-person courthouse foot traffic. We will continue to address the pandemic challenges together to make our justice system in LA County accessible, safe and adaptable to changing conditions.”
The presiding judge’s remarks were contained in a press release which notes that the court will continue to require use of face masks in all courthouses, small batches of jury panels, plexiglass dividers, frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces, and availability of hand sanitizer.
Sam Ohta, the supervising judge of the criminal courts, remarked:
“N.O.W. provides the Criminal Division a phased pathway to restored operations, sturdy enough to address some of our biggest challenges, yet flexible enough to retract certain aspects should the county enter another significant COVID surge.”
He expressed gratitude to the court’s “justice partners”—including government prosecutorial and criminal defense offices as well as law enforcement agencies—“for recognizing the need for the N.O.W. plan and their collective commitment to collaborating with Court leadership to return our Criminal justice infrastructure to full operation.”
Copyright 2021, Metropolitan News Company