Many federal courthouses require those who enter the building to wear a mask due to the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country. But in Judge David Carter’s courtroom in the Central District of California, standard coronavirus protections are more relaxed. Mask mandates and social distancing simply don’t exist here; in Carter’s courtroom, personal responsibility reigns supreme.
Carter’s rules are limited, but they seem to getting the job done. The Recorder has some additional details on the precautions being used in his courtroom:
He’s instead told the unmasked attorneys to keep their areas clean and has precluded them from using the lectern to examine witnesses or give opening statements and closing arguments, to eliminate the shared space and need to change the microphone cover after each use, which is being done with the witness stand microphone. Plexiglass also is installed on attorney tables and the judge’s bench.
So far, no COVID infections have been reported in the “five or six” trials Carter said he’s conducted since late May, so “we’re either lucky, or we’re doing it right,” the judge said.
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As recently as last week, Carter told attorneys in his courtroom who chose to go unmasked: “I’ve made you totally responsible for the area you sit in, therefore if you get COVID, congratulations. You are totally responsible. I’m not joking.”
Hopefully all those who enter Carter’s courtroom keep getting lucky.
California Judge Tells Unmasked Attorneys, ‘If You Get COVID, Congratulations’ [The Recorder]
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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.