tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post2088624941091059306..comments2024-03-28T00:50:16.901-05:00Comments on Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center: Court In a Time of CoronaMurray Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662196272138109874noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-37795611791897995202020-03-17T10:35:06.728-05:002020-03-17T10:35:06.728-05:00RUMOR: Is Harris County going on “lockdown” due to...RUMOR: Is Harris County going on “lockdown” due to the Coronavirus?<br /><br />False. It is important that residents understand that local officials are not putting areas under “lockdown” or ordering businesses to close. Residents should continue to be vigilant, and take reasonable steps to help prevent the spread of the virus by taking common sense steps provided by trusted sources. Current guidance for communities strongly discourages events or gatherings greater than 250 people. Official community guidelines have also been issued and are available by visiting ReadyHarris or HCPHTX.org.<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced new restrictions for bars and restaurants that will remain in effect for the rest of March in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.<br /><br />The county has mandated that all bars and nightclubs will be closed until the end of March. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-87590146375430950272020-03-17T09:37:43.356-05:002020-03-17T09:37:43.356-05:00So the county has closed bars and restaurants, but...So the county has closed bars and restaurants, but yet they are requiring their employees to come to work where they are in close proximity to others. Why isn’t Harris County telling their employees to work from home? Hypocrisy? Lack of leadership? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-3218003597579501922020-03-16T11:05:09.857-05:002020-03-16T11:05:09.857-05:00Um, I had swine flu (H1N1) in 2010 in Houston when...Um, I had swine flu (H1N1) in 2010 in Houston when I was pregnant. Pregnant women were dying left and right, so when I found out, I thought it was a death sentence. Lucky for me it wasn't. However, before I found out I was sick with it, I gave it to a friend with an autoimmune disorder. That made me feel like a jerk, even though I passed it on before I had symptoms. Anyway, I just want to clarify Houston has had health crisis before and no one has reacted like they have with coronavirus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-19733929764614958962020-03-14T07:10:59.892-05:002020-03-14T07:10:59.892-05:00Anon March 12, 2020 at 6:27 AM: "When Trump’s...Anon March 12, 2020 at 6:27 AM: "When Trump’s obsession with a number go up stock market ends in him cratering it, maybe people will wake up a bit."<br /><br />Yet the Dow Jones plummeted after Obama took office to ~7000 and under Trump has risen to almost 30,000, recent market corrections already correcting themselves with record gains not seem since the Bush administration. These trends are mirrored by every other indicator gauging markets but partisan hacks will jump on the slightest decrease and refuse to acknowledge the bigger picture. In terms of actual health related matters, flu deaths under both Obama and Trump have averaged out about the same despite the imaginary cuts you believe happened and neither administration responded markedly different to whatever crises popped up.<br /><br />Murray's advice is sound and hopefully some of the hacks listen to him and others applying commonsense to this situation. There is no need to politicize this outbreak although I accept some of the extremists will always feel the need to just that in their failed attempts at character assassination.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-88954488254969481162020-03-13T19:28:06.532-05:002020-03-13T19:28:06.532-05:00"We missed an opportunity after Harvey to cha..."We missed an opportunity after Harvey to change the way we do things"<br /><br />Look on the bright side: This virus will present us with another opportunity to change things, and when we completely fail to do that you'll forget about the missed opportunity Harvey gave us. Attorneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-29246077481346643632020-03-13T17:56:34.274-05:002020-03-13T17:56:34.274-05:00For the most part, if you are a prosecutor, court ...For the most part, if you are a prosecutor, court staff or defense counsel, you are still going to have to trek downtown exposing yourselves and your families to illness, because of...? <br /><br />Is this going like a couple years ago in a major freeze when every court was closed except Debra Ibarra Mayfield who didn't show up herself? <br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-41167952479715505832020-03-13T11:25:58.030-05:002020-03-13T11:25:58.030-05:00And meanwhile other county offices are open while ...And meanwhile other county offices are open while the County Judge is asking the private sector to telework... Talking out of both sides of her mouth...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-45773807064746093472020-03-13T06:57:25.830-05:002020-03-13T06:57:25.830-05:00https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/03/1...https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/03/13/harris-county-juvenile-justice-center-closed-until-further-notice-officials-say/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-83277532333587763232020-03-12T19:33:39.215-05:002020-03-12T19:33:39.215-05:00We missed an opportunity after Harvey to change th...We missed an opportunity after Harvey to change the way we do things. <br /><br />For bond cases, Harris is one of the few counties that have us all trekking into downtown once a month when most of the evidence for cases is not in for a decision for 8 or 9 months sometimes. <br /><br />It is great to be able to sit face to face with a prosecutor who likely has no idea what is going on with your case for 5 minutes while 7 attorneys looking for resets are lined up behind you, staring a hole through the back of your head. It is 2020. E-mail them. The portal has a link to the case prosecutor's email. <br /><br />Then, issues and concerns and requests are actual part of the case file, written down and preserved. <br /><br />If it is just making sure the cases are moving, the discovery portal has a log. You can see how many times the defense counsel has accessed the log and use it to make a decision if we ask for a continuance. <br /><br />At this point, all we are doing is bond compliance. <br /><br />And the choice to close portions of the civil caseload and not criminal caseload is just a continuation of how the county views those unfortunate enough to land on the criminal dockets. <br /><br />Expendable. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-4860384900611120042020-03-12T16:11:02.928-05:002020-03-12T16:11:02.928-05:00Best advice for the cops is to PICK YOUR BATTLES!Best advice for the cops is to PICK YOUR BATTLES!Leenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-19062304430403636902020-03-12T15:18:50.928-05:002020-03-12T15:18:50.928-05:00ummmm how about attorneys who didn't get paid ...ummmm how about attorneys who didn't get paid today due to a new vendor taking over the Direct Deposit contract? How ya'll feeling about that, comrades?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-40652892303490584652020-03-12T13:43:05.473-05:002020-03-12T13:43:05.473-05:00Ahhhhh, nice to know our president is taking this ...Ahhhhh, nice to know our president is taking this seriously. I feel so safe with him at the helm.<br /><br />https://thehill.com/policy/finance/486817-trump-budget-chief-holds-firm-on-cdc-cuts-amid-virus-outbreakAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-4401627168080555032020-03-12T11:47:54.989-05:002020-03-12T11:47:54.989-05:00As to your point 5, pay lawyers when they do the w...As to your point 5, pay lawyers when they do the work. Not long ago, I got in discovery the clerk's file in a CPS termination case that had morphed into a criminal case.<br />In the CPS case, the appointed lawyers -- the father's lawyer, the mother's lawyer and the ad litem -- submitted a voucher after every court appearance.<br />I guess we're expected to carry the county while civil lawyer are entitled to be paid when they do the work.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422756686976294550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-24780301395306382832020-03-12T11:04:07.205-05:002020-03-12T11:04:07.205-05:00Don’t let facts get in the way...Don’t let facts get in the way...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-11646214398689357352020-03-12T09:47:38.986-05:002020-03-12T09:47:38.986-05:00Anon. 6:27 - The CDC budget has not been cut. In ...Anon. 6:27 - The CDC budget has not been cut. In September 2019, Trump proposed a budget for 2021 that included cuts for chronic disease, however there has been no budget put forth or voted on by Congress (just like the last several years) so no, the CDC budget has not been "slashed."<br />Thorhees21https://www.blogger.com/profile/11457126076218509802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-57359065539404731382020-03-12T07:21:05.782-05:002020-03-12T07:21:05.782-05:00District court judges meeting at 8:15 am today, 3-...District court judges meeting at 8:15 am today, 3-12Carl R Pruetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10940279862563371309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-30865609789120782332020-03-12T06:27:12.827-05:002020-03-12T06:27:12.827-05:00Just wait until the virus hits the jails. Unfortun...Just wait until the virus hits the jails. Unfortunately, from the top down, it has all been reactive. I guess everyone expected a coherent response from the federal government like SARS, Ebola, etc. and forgot we have a clown for pres that slashed the CDC, ignoring warnings from his own people about the risk of an outbreak just like this.<br /><br /><br />Really, it just highlights how fragile our systems are and why we need major reforms in health, childcare, and employee protection. When Trump’s obsession with a number go up stock market ends in him cratering it, maybe people will wake up a bit. But since it looks like the Dems are picking a guy who is basically a Republican and has supported the banks, mass incarceration, and cutting what little benefits we have, I am not hopeful. We keep voting against our interests and just blame each other. Complain about struggling Americans getting anything and bail out the billionaires. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-65734717764964410772020-03-11T21:44:46.626-05:002020-03-11T21:44:46.626-05:00As I told another lawyer who was lamenting about w...As I told another lawyer who was lamenting about why the court system seems to be way behind the times on this: "don't you know, every judge's gravestone has etched on it the amount of cases they closed."BRIAN TANNEBAUMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-52082278676165120642020-03-11T21:18:35.107-05:002020-03-11T21:18:35.107-05:00Anon 9:12 p.m.,
I think the police departments sh...Anon 9:12 p.m.,<br /><br />I think the police departments should follow the same protocols that they follow when a hurricane is rolling in. Make the arrests on the big stuff and save a warrant for later on the small stuff. It's a pain in the ass, but all of this is going to be a huge pain in the ass.<br />Murray Newmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11386971054953149547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-23612912698224200632020-03-11T21:12:43.217-05:002020-03-11T21:12:43.217-05:00And if the police department followed this line of...And if the police department followed this line of logic? Just don't arrest anyone for the next few months??? I mean, it's not like Harris County is trying to keep crooks in jail, so why not send the cops home too?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com