Newby seeks vaccine access for court system
RALEIGH (AP) North Carolina’s new chief justice says he’s asked Gov. Roy Cooper to consider getting COVID-19 vaccines more quickly to local court officials to meet a state constitutional requirement that “all courts shall be open.”
Speaking at Wednesday’s online installation ceremony for himself and two new justices, Chief Justice Paul Newby said “access to justice through the courts is not a luxury it’s a mandate.”
Newby, a Republican who as an associate justice narrowly defeated then-Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in November, said he’s communicated with Cooper to “enhance the availability of the vaccine to the courthouse personnel who bravely and I even say courageously open the courts to fulfill our constitutional mandate.”
New NC chief justice seeks vaccine access for court system
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New NC chief justice seeks vaccine access for open courts
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COVID-19 Task Force revisits issues of courtroom safety, vaccination priority
Members of the North Carolina Judicial Branch COVID-19 Task Force indicated at a Tuesday online meeting that the group is considering incorporating the County Alert System in guiding court operations in different jurisdictions and pushing for early vaccination for court staff as it drafts recommendations to Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in light of recent case spikes.
Beasley’s recent directives draw from the task force’s recommendations.
The alert system color codes the severity of coronavirus risks in all counties, featuring three metrics the number of cases in a particular population, the percentage of tests that are positive and hospital capacity. Dr. Erica Wilson from the Department of Health and Human Services introduced the tool at the meeting.