Covid
NJC Resources
Recorded webcasts keyed to the COVID-19 pandemic

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A Constitutional Examination of the COVID-19 Pandemic presented by Dean Erwin Chemerinsky
Thursday, March 19, 2020 | Noon Pacific

What can courts do in the face of a pandemic? What are the constitutional limitations of state action? Can a health department quarantine an entire area of a city or municipality? Renowned constitutional law scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of Berkeley Law, will answer these and many other questions from an esteemed panel of the state judiciary including Chief Justice George W. Draper III (MO) and Justice Sabrina Shizue McKenna (HI). This webcast is offered in partnership with the Appellate Judges Education Institute.

The Judge’s Role in a Pandemic &  The Judge’s Role in a Pandemic: The Second Edition
Thursday, March 26, 2020 | Noon Pacific & Thursday, March 19, 2020 | Noon Pacific

COVID-19 has underscored how utterly unprepared the U.S. is for managing a pandemic. The National Judicial College wants to help restore confidence in our public institutions by providing a 75-minute webcast on the judge’s role in managing a pandemic. Many judges suffer from the belief that a pandemic is not their problem. Rather, it’s the problem of the state’s supreme court, court administration, or some other entity. This webcast will emphasize that all judicial branch employees, including judges, have a role to play, whether it’s ruling correctly on cases involving public health emergencies, communicating with court staff and the public, taking a leadership role in preparing for an effective response by their courts, and ensuring continuity of court operations.

The Neuroscience of Pandemic Response: How Judges Operate in Times of Societal Crisis
Tuesday, March 31, 2020  |  Noon Pacific

Did you know that brain scans can tell us how we think in times of crisis? What keeps us from effectively solving problems, helps us to analyze, motivates us, scares us, and fools us?  How can we use these studies to help judges make effective, efficient, and equitable decisions even under extreme pressure?

Civil Mediation in a Time of Social Distancing – A Mediator’s Response to COVID-19
Tuesday, April 7, 2020  |  Noon Pacific

“Social distancing” is changing how courts and businesses provide services to the public, and mediation has not escaped this new reality. Mediations conducted remotely do not enjoy settlement rates as high as those held in a face-to-face setting. To overcome the settlement rate disparity, this webcast identifies factors to consider and provides tips and techniques to modify the process and enhance settlement rates, while maintaining participant satisfaction.

Animal Law – Animal Care and Sheltering During the Pandemic
Wednesday, April 8, 2020  |  Noon Pacific

As courts and local, state and the federal governments face the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 virus, questions are arising regarding the “essential” nature of the work done for homeless, injured and lost animals in animal shelters, as well as the level of care that should and can be delivered in veterinary offices and other animal care facilities.  While not mentioned in every list of “essential” services in many orders affecting our daily lives, animal care facilities fit soundly within the types of businesses that provide fundamental public health and safety benefits, and that should continue to operate in order to prevent further insult to society. In addition, the COVID-19 virus has not invalidated the ADA and FHA regulations regarding service, support, and therapy animals. During this webcast, designed for judges, Brandy Kuentzel, General Counsel for the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Professor Bruce Wagman will explain the role judges have in ensuring that animals are protected during national emergencies.

Virtual Court During a Pandemic: Platforms, Process, and Procedure
Monday, April 20, 2020  |  Noon Pacific, 3 p.m. Eastern

What can courts do to continue operations during mandated social distancing and quarantine? Due to nationwide courthouse closures and a move to virtual services, many judges are having to rule remotely. This webcast will provide the necessary information and resources to judges for operating their courts virtually in a pandemic.

A Different Emergency: Rural Courts During a Pandemic
Wednesday, April 22, 2020  | 1 p.m. Pacific, 4 p.m. Eastern

COVID-19 has significantly impacted the day-to-day business of the courts. There are nationwide courthouse closures and a push to adjudicate remotely where possible. In rural courts, judges and the judiciary already do more for their communities with less. This webcast will educate rural court judges about best practices for operating the courts in a pandemic, the responsibilities of a rural court judge during a pandemic, and the resources to create a plan for their courts.

Lessons Learned from Around the World About Managing Courts in a Pandemic
Thursday, April 23, 2020  |  8:00 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m. Eastern | Tuition: Free

Court systems and judges from around the world are impacted by COVID-19. In this extraordinary webcast, we will have the opportunity to hear judges in Italy, Spain, Germany, South Korea and the United States discuss how they are managing the pandemic crisis. Sponsored by the State Justice Institute, this webcast will be presented by The National Judicial College in collaboration with the European Judicial Training Network and the Judicial Research and Training Institute in South Korea. This webcast will be 90 minutes in duration.

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