TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Public Defender Urges High Court to Address COVID-19 Issues in General Sessions Courts

Posted by: Kate Prince on Dec 8, 2020

Tennessee Public Defenders Conference Executive Director Patrick Frogge is appealing to Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins, asking the high court to take action to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus, specifically in general sessions courts, Knox News reports. In a letter dated Nov. 24, Frogge wrote that attorneys who represent the poor and their clients are being endangered by judges who are continuing to hold in-person hearings despite the state's ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The state Supreme Court last month suspended all jury trials, but did not suspend all in-person hearings, meaning general sessions court judges were not required to change day-to-day operations. Frogge noted that, unlike judges and prosecutors, public defenders  must meet with clients inside local jails, where outbreaks of COVID-19 are now becoming common place, making them particularly vulnerable to the virus. Frogge is asking the Supreme Court to step in, but did not specify what actions he’d like them to take.

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