Ohio juvenile court Judge Timothy Grendell thought coronavirus precautions were overblown, and made sure people knew it. In one case he forbade a mother from getting her children tested for COVID-19. Then, one of them had to go to the emergency room.
This article was published on Friday, December 18, 2020 in ProPublica.
Ohio juvenile court Judge Timothy Grendell has been outspoken about his belief that the COVID-19 pandemic is overblown.
At a protest rally in May, just steps away from where he presides over family court, Grendell proclaimed that public health restrictions to contain the pandemic were unconstitutional and we should be allowed to get back to our lives. The following month, he testified to state lawmakers in Columbus that health authorities and a drumbeat of media coverage had created an atmosphere of fear surrounding the virus.
Protesters are seen holding signs at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, United States on April 20, 2020. As part of nation wide protests in the United States, hundreds gathered at the Ohio State House demanding that Gov. DeWine ends the stay home order. Brad Lee/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Timothy Grendell, a family court judge in Ohio, in October banned two parents from having their children undergo COVID-19 testing unless they were approved by him, court records obtained by ProPublica showed.
Grendell has on several occasions publicly shared his views contesting the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, which he has referred to as panic-ademic.