DETROIT (AP) — Michigan's chief justice wants judges and other court staff to be among the second wave of people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the state, saying vaccinating them quickly would keep courts open and slow the spread of the virus.
Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack made the request in letter sent last month to Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and chief deputy director of the Department of Health and Human Services.
McCormack asked that judges and court workers who are still performing work in-person at Michigan's courthouses be among the “essential workers” to get the COVID-19 vaccine in the second tier of vaccinations, The Detroit News reported.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified “workers supporting the operations of the judicial system, including judges, lawyers, and others providing legal assistance” as essential critical infrastructure workers, she noted.
Michigan health officials expect to receive 120,900 doses of COVID-19 vaccines during each of the next two weeks. The FDA has authorized vaccines from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna for emergency use.
McCormack wrote that while the vaccines are becoming available for high-risk residents and health care workers, “at-risk court staff must be included in plans to distribute and administer those vaccines" in the next wave.
“The judiciary must have a role in identifying court staff who should be included in this category because vaccinating essential court personnel will keep our court system running, safeguard rights, and slow the spread of the virus,” McCormack wrote in her letter.
Chief judges for circuit courts and administrators have been working with local health departments to determine how to proceed with administrative orders from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office, according to Michigan courts spokesman John Nevin.
Courthouses across the state are largely closed to the public and most hearings are being conducted online. But McCormack wrote that much essential business still requires in-person work, especially involving law enforcement personnel.
She said clerks and other court staff have been required to work in courthouses statewide since the beginning of the pandemic, creating “a high probability for interaction between court employees and unvaccinated individuals in courthouse facilities.”
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