Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor

As Ohio prepares to unveil its COVID-19 vaccination program, Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor today asked Gov. Mike DeWine to include the state’s court staffs in its distribution plan.

“I urge you to include state court judges, court staff, and clerks of court staff in the list of individuals slated to received the COVID-19 vaccination during Phase 1 of the distribution,” Chief Justice O’Connor said in a letter to the governor.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified “‘judges, lawyers, and others providing legal assistance’ as essential critical infrastructure workers,” the chief justice wrote.

Gov. DeWine unveiled the state’s plan to offer the first phase of the vaccine to health care providers and nursing home residents as soon as Dec. 15. Chief Justice O’Connor’s request is for court staff to be added.

“Courthouses are among the busiest government offices and among the hardest to enforce social distancing,” Chief Justice O’Connor said. “Space is limited, particularly in some of our historic courthouses.”

“These outbreaks among judges and court employees could easily disable Ohio’s courts and have a significant impact on public safety, our nation, and its economy,” she said.

“Recognizing the importance of essential justice system workers, these individuals should be given the same priority in vaccine availability as other essential workers.”

Chief Justice O’Connor also released a new letter to Ohio judges offering guidance on how courthouses can deal with the worsening pandemic after hearing complaints of “cattle-call” proceedings and crowded courthouse hallways.

“It is no surprise then, that we are also seeing a rise in infections among judicial staff as well as in the offices of public defenders, prosecutors, clerks of court and law enforcement,” Chief Justice wrote to the state’s 722 judges.

“The vaccine is a long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent now,” she said. “Your vigilance continues to protect your employees and the public you serve.”