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Coronavirus Pandemic Could Have Lasting Impact On Washtenaw County Courts

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The coronavirus pandemic has forced Washtenaw County's court system to rely more heavily on technology.

Washtenaw County's courts have been closed to the public for around three weeks now, and operations have been limited to essential services.

That's prompted them to make more services available online through their website and also use things, such as videoconferencing technology, to handle some processes that would normally be done in-person.

The Magistrate of the 14-B District Court in Washtenaw County, Mark Nelson, says some of those things could remain in use even after the courts re-open to the public.

"Will there be any dramatic shifts in how we're delivering services in general?  I'm not sure.  A lot of that will have to depend on how long this lasts, I think," Nelson says.

Nelson says they've also been developing a strategy for handling the growing backlog of issues they will need to address once normal operations resume.

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— Taylor Pinson is a writer/reporter for 89.1 WEMU News.  Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him studio@wemu.org

Taylor Pinson is a former WEMU news reporter and engineer.
Taylor Pinson is a former WEMU news reporter and engineer.
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