Portland Press Herald Article 6/1/20
As courts across the country have been forced to move online during the pandemic, issues relating to access abound. Citizen access to the courthouses has been limited, and public and media access to proceedings has been hampered as Maine courts scramble to keep cases moving and justice available during the COVID-19 scourge.
A coalition of press and civil liberties groups signed a letter that outlined suggestions for broader public access to court proceedings nationwide, like sharing dial-in information before court events and waiving fees for online access to documents.
“As we move into the next phase of the way that public institutions are responding to the pandemic, it is going to be important to take account of public access,” said Zachary Heiden, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine. “That’s true in the Legislature or any government bodies, and it’s especially true in the courts.”
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is tracking public access to judicial proceedings and so far has found that the response has been varied.
See full article from link below:
https://www.pressherald.com/2020/06/01/maine-courts-struggle-with-public-access-during-pandemic/