Coronavirus and Divorce

It seems the ripple effect of coronavirus has infected everything, and divorcing individuals are not immune. The most apparent impact is that most, if not all, courthouses are closed except for emergencies. This may delay your divorce, along with applications for temporary support and custody. There are other less obvious issues as well. .

Your divorce is a lawsuit, and that means it’s dependent on proper and timely functioning of the court system to become final. Court systems across the country are responding in multiple ways to balance handling the pandemic with ensuring the health and safety of all the people they touch – employees, litigants and attorneys. #divorcecoronavirus, #covid-19divorce,

Open during COVID-19

Our office is open during the COVID-19 crisis by appointment only.  We encourage telephone consultations rather than in person appointments. #covid-19, #coronavisus,

Unanimous Jury Verdicts

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that state juries must be unanimous to convict defendants in criminal trials, overturning the Louisiana second-degree murder conviction of Evangelisto Ramos that resulted in a life sentence when a jury found him guilty with a 10-2 vote.

The court noted that 48 states -- and more importantly federal courts -- already required unanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases, with only Lousiana and Oregon holding out by accepting 10-2 decisions. #supreme court, #unanimousjuryverdict,

Decrease in crime due to coronavirus

Would-be criminals may be heeding stay-at-home orders, as major cities across the United States report significant dip in major crimes like burglary, assault, murder, robbery and grand larceny, a drop likely influenced by a lack of opportunity as businesses close and streets empty. 

• In Chicago, drug arrests have dropped by 42% in the weeks since the city shut down, the Associated Press reports, while in Los Angeles, the rate of key crimes plummeted 30% after March 15.
• New York City—the nation’s hard-hit epicenter, where nearly 20% of the city’s police force reported sick this week—is also experiencing a double-digit decrease in crime. 
• “In some sense, it’s like a giant blizzard has hit and there’s 10 feet of snow on the ground,” a former police officer and criminal justice professor told the Washington Post. 
• In a study by USA Today, 19 out of 20 police agencies recorded a lower number of criminal incidents since March 15, and the agencies studied also reported a significant decrease in traffic stops, down as much as 92% in some areas. 
• But it’s not all good news: While drug crimes and homicides are plummeting, the rate of domestic violence, which may be exacerbated by shelter-in-place orders, shows signs of surging. 
• Nuisance complaints—and especially residential noise complaints—are also up, and in some areas, police are cracking down on scofflaws ignoring social distancing rules. #coronaviruscrime, #decreaseincrimecoronavirus,
  

Order Of Protection

An order of protection is a court order which restricts an abuser and only is available to family or household members. An order of protection may: prohibit abuser from continuing threats and abuse (abuse includes physical abuse, harassment, intimidation, interference with personal liberty, or willful deprivation. #orderofprotection,

Cook County Jail

The Cook County sheriff’s office announced announced Wednesday that 26 more detainees at Cook County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19, raising the number of confirmed cases among detainees to 167.

Twelve detainees diagnosed with the disease have been hospitalized, the sheriff’s office said. Additionally, 34 staff members have also tested positive.

The first two cases of COVID-19 were announced March 23. So far, the jail has released at least 400 detainees, as Cook County judges conduct case-by-case bond reviews in an attempt to lower the jail’s population and reduce the spread of the coronavirus. #coronavirus, #cookcountyjail,