Court

Contrary to early pandemic concerns, judges said switching to virtual court hearings has had “immediate and lasting positive consequences.”

Let’s say that my neighbor is upset because he believes I encroached on his property by building a fence on it. So he sneaks into court – without my knowledge – and obtains a court order from a judge requiring me to immediately remove the fence.

Under legislation moving through the California Senate, teenagers who turn 18 and would otherwise be moved to adult jails could remain in juvenile facilities – a shift described as a protective measure against the deadly spread of coronavirus.

Effective today, the Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that child welfare and juvenile justice cases will proceed apace, but will rely mostly on video and telephonic interaction. Chief Justice Lorie Gildea said that all cases of a “super high” or “high” priority will continue as normal.

Child welfare is a complicated and varied system. Most people, who have not worked in the field of child protection, foster care and adoption — the child welfare system — are not familiar with the many services and practices involved.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been reading transcripts from child protective hearings. Hundreds of pages of transcripts. I’ve seen examples of clear legal errors. I’ve read many lines of parents’ lawyers grumbling and complaining.

California has taken dramatic steps over the past several years to reduce the transfer of juveniles into adult court system, ensuring that more young people accused of crimes can benefit from rehabilitation in the juvenile system.

It’s 3:30 on a Friday afternoon at the Alfred J. McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center in Lancaster, California, when the last case of the day begins. This is the dependency courtroom that serves the Antelope Valley, a remote high-desert community that has been marked by a string of child fatalities in recent years, including 4-year Noah Cuatro last month.

After 18 years on the bench, Judge Margaret Henry will step down as a judge at Los Angeles County’s Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court. On Tuesday, she was honored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for her work, including establishing the 18 and Up Courtroom, a pioneering court designed to address the needs of young people in extended foster care, ages 18 to 21.