Marilyn Marcus was recently featured in the Unified Court System’s Amici Podcast with John Caher to discuss our important project Dispensing Justice from a Distance: Journal of the NYS Courts During the 2020 Pandemic. As Marilyn notes, Dispensing Justice seeks to tell the individual stories of judges and court staff on-the-ground during the pandemic, handling essential matters, conducting virtual hearings, and ensuring everyone continues to get their day in court – showcasing in real time through these shared experiences how the courts never closed. It will also explore administration in various courthouses with administrative judges up the chain to Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks how the courts achieved this remarkable feat of going from in-person to remote working with the technology staff of the court system.
In Marilyn’s words:
We’re living through unprecedented times, and I can imagine no more important mission for us than to make a record of the court’s experiences as we navigate what I can only call these unchartered waters.
This podcast contains deeper insight into the project. The individual recordings will form an important archive of the courts’ experiences during these historic times, creating a cumulative and definitive record for future generations. To further supplement the experience, a timeline is being developed to mark all events form mid-March and the sudden courthouse shutdown until the pandemic ends and we emerge to the new normal.