Panelists
Hon. Helen G. Berrigan, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana

Hon. Linda L. Chezem, former Judge of the Indiana Court of Appeals; co-author of “Bench Books” on Public Health Emergency Law for Indiana and Kentucky state court systems

Ronald Younkins, Chief of Operations and Co-Chair of the Task Force on Court Security for the New York State Office of Court Administration

Moderator
Nan D. Hunter, Brooklyn Law School Professor and Director of the Center for Health, Science and Public Policy

About the Program
From the risk of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina or pandemic flu to the threat of terrorism, emergencies create the potential to close down the courts. Yet keeping the judicial system open and functioning is essential to society's ability to respond effectively while also maintaining the rule of law. The questions raised by health emergencies, like those raised by issues of national security, cut to the heart of the role of courts in a free society.

This panel discussion brought together judges who have first-hand experience with emergency situations along with other experts in law and public health. They explored the difficult legal and policy questions raised by such issues as the judicial role in quarantine, what constitutes due process in an emergency, and how a disabled court system can cope with speedy trial laws and jury demands. The program was part of the Center for Health, Science and Public Policy’s ongoing series of theory-practice seminars, in which scholars and practitioners have the opportunity to exchange ideas on important questions of health policy.

View video from the event.