Modernizing the municipal court

The first 16 months serving on the bench as judge of the Erie County Municipal Court have been a remarkably interesting experience courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdowns that everyone experienced in 2020. The municipal court hears misdemeanor-level criminal cases, traffic cases, evictions and civil cases when less than $15,000 is at stake. The court also hears felony cases before indictment by the Erie County grand jury. The court went from a full, demanding docket in January and February of 2020 to only hearing time-sensitive — for example, the defendant is in jail — and emergency matters in March, April and May. However, by June, following state and local pandemic guidance, the court resumed hearing in-person cases. And in August, the court resumed criminal jury trials. Fast forward to today, and I am pleased to report that all cases are moving forward, in person or virtually, on a regular pre-pandemic schedule. The courthouse still has limits to entering, mask requirements and social distancing restrictions but is open to those with business before the court during regular pre-pandemic business hours. As a candidate for judge in 2019, I advocated for making the Erie County Municipal Court system more accessible. Though I never imagined we would advance that goal in the midst of, and in part due to, a pandemic, the court now has full capability to hear proceedings in any type of case by video conference. This includes not only the common scenario where one person is present by video and the others are present in the courtroom but also the scenario where everyone, including the judge, is appearing by video with no one physically present in the courtroom. We have dedicated time on our schedule for defendants wishing to appear by video just as we do for those who appear in person. The result is that more defendants are participating in their cases, and fewer fail to appear for court. Video court appearances, made possible by temporary rules dues to the pandemic, are here to stay post-pandemic. Court staff and I are working to make sure the system put in place, once the pandemic restrictions end, balance the rights of the parties and the public while continuing to simplify access to the municipal court system for all those involved. Outside the changes expedited by the pandemic, the court has also expanded use of electronic monitoring and probation restrictions for those criminal defendants who are placed on a term of probation. Over the balance of my first term as judge, the court staff and I will be working to improve the court's use of technology to improve access, reduce duplicate processes and increase efficiency in the clerk of courts office. I will continue to look for ways to modernize the systems we have in place and ensure that the administration of justice evolves with advances in technology and our society.