SALT LAKE CITY Defense attorneys should be first in the legal world to get a COVID-19 vaccine, some Utah judges said Monday. Frankly, these aren t our employees, but if you ask me who really needed vaccination on my team, I would say it s the public defenders, 2nd District Judge David Connors told fellow members of the Utah Judicial Council.
Connors said the lawyers, who represent many in jail, are facing real serious questions about whether they can interact with their clients.
Utah s inmates, for their part, are not set to be inoculated in mass until March.
The coronavirus has spread rapidly in several of the state s county jails, where defense lawyers typically visit defendants to discuss their cases and prepare a defense. Although jailers have restricted the meetings, many continue to take place within the facilities, with glass separating attorneys from their clients.