Courtwatch Updates

A New Public Access Protocol

The FJD announced a new protocol for public access to the courts: “Consistent with the April 28, 2020 Supreme Court’s Emergency Order of Statewide Judicial Administration Applicable from May 1, 2020 through June 1, 2020 (Nos. 531 and 532 Judicial Administration Docket), the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania (FJD) will continue to utilize Zoom remote…

A Tale of Two Courtrooms

The differences in the outcomes for Friday’s hearings speaks for itself: the prosecutor in the room matters, and judges will follow their lead. On Friday, all the parole hearings (plus one bail hearing that has been going on for days) happened in Judge Charles Ehrlich’s courtroom. The ADA objected (in some cases, “strenuously!”) to 13…

How to (Virtually) Courtwatch in Philly

Have a few hours a week to spare? A phone? A computer or tablet with internet? That’s all you need to sign up to be a courtwatch volunteer. What to do: Check your email the morning of your shift for call-in information and schedule Download Calendar Schedule Report if attached to email, or go to…

Courtwatching in the time of Coronavirus

Posted by Nikki Grant, Courtwatch Organizer. On February 26, 2020, the Judge Accountability Table held its first Courtwatch Volunteer Training. Volunteers received a primer on how Philadelphia and Pennsylvania courts work and then were trained on how to observe judges. The Courtwatch Program was set for its initial run on March 16th. Then, COVID-19 happened.…


Follow My Blog

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.

%d bloggers like this: