In-person arraignments restart in Queens
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In-person arraignments resume today in Queens with safety measures still in place. Photo courtesy of OCA
By Rachel Vick
Queens, Richmond and Bronx Counties resume in-person arraignments today in the next step of the court system’s cautious return to in-person proceedings.
The first phase proved successful, according to Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, with only two court staff COVID cases reported statewide since the May 24 reopening.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us to overcome the ongoing challenges and after-effects of the pandemic, but it is certainly encouraging and exciting to see our judges and staff once again interacting face-to-face with lawyers and litigants to move our dockets forward, an indication… that the end of the pandemic is finally in sight,” DiFiore said.
“The restoration of face‐to‐face attorney‐client interaction in these critically important proceedings marks another important milestone in our return to the new normal,” she added. “We are excited about getting underway.”
Courthouses will continue to require temperature checks, face masks and physical distancing by everyone in the courtroom. Virtual arraignments will also continue for any defendants who are ill or have been exposed to COVID.
Queens County Bar Association President Frank Bruno is taking the next step of reopening as a good sign for the resurgence of in-person activities for the bar, and for their members to regain a sense of normalcy through community.
“The Bar is committed to getting back to in-person as much as possible,” Bruno said. “Judges have been long back but once the clerks came back and the public schools said all in-person, I knew it was inevitable that courts are going to resume.”
The former 18b attorney said that while he hoped the courts would not lose the silver lining of some virtual proceedings, arraignments “seem like they should be done in person.”
Queens Defenders Executive Director Lori Zeno agreed on all fronts — she said that while the efficiency of virtual proceedings is valuable, seeing clients in person makes a “huge difference.”
“Meeting someone for the first time at such a stressful point is better in person, but we did the best we could,” Zeno said. “I think it's great that our clients — especially those who are incarcerated — are finally getting to come into the courtroom. It's slow, but that’s better than not happening at all.”
She said the return to in-person has helped older cases move along, like in the case of a client who had been waiting a year for an arraignment only to have the charges thrown out based on an illegal search.
“I’m happy that we’re starting to reopen and courts are getting back to where they used to be,” Zeno said. “It's just a start but at least the numbers have gone down and the safety concern isn't the same [as the early days].”
Some lawyers and defendants will be returning for the first time since Queens’ courts went virtual but everyday staff like court officers have been in-person, adjusting to the steadily increasing stream of court attendees.
Officers’ vaccination rates are still around 45 percent and there have been at least three cases among their members since reopening, said New York State Court Officers Association President Dennis Quirk.
“So far everything has been fine, but the buildings are still not being not cleaned properly,” Quirk said. “We’ll see if people start getting the virus again, but we’re ready for [reopening] and are hopeful it’ll work out.”
The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which is responsible for cleaning court buildings in the city, said additional custodial staff will be added as the courts continue to bring more people in.
"DCAS has worked closely with the Office of Court Administration and other partners to ensure that all court facilities are clean and safe for everyone," a spokesperson for the agency said. "As court facilities continue to reopen, additional custodial staff will support the cleaning of these buildings."
