Three court officers stand outside 60 centre street in Manhattan on July 13, 2021, the day before the mask mandate in state courts was lifted. Photo: Ryland West/ALM Three court officers stand outside 60 Centre Street in Manhattan on July 13, 2021, the day before the mask mandate in state courts was lifted. Photo: Ryland West/ALM

The Trend:

Mask mandates are back in some courthouses, while other courts are preparing to require vaccinations or regular COVID-19 testing for judges and staff.

The Driver:

Lagging vaccination rates in some areas of the country, coupled with growing concerns around the highly contagious Delta variant, have spurred some courts to reinstate COVID protocols they had hoped to leave behind just a few weeks ago.

Before we dive in, I'm interested to hear what you think: do you envision the courts in your jurisdiction reinstituting COVID-19 protocols like mask mandates if they haven't already? To the extent that they've begun to move back toward in-person proceedings recently, should courts again start leaning more heavily on virtual proceedings heading into the fall? Do you think requiring vaccinations or COVID testing for judges and court staff is a good idea? Let me know at [email protected].