Short-Benched U.S. Trial Courts Face Post-Pandemic Crisis (1)

Ricardo S. Martinez, chief judge for the federal trial court covering Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, was already dealing with an emergency before the coronavirus pandemic hit: five of its seven authorized judgeships are vacant.

All of those vacancies on his court, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, are considered “judicial emergencies” a term given to vacancies that increase the workload of the remaining judges.

The pandemic—which hit the greater Seattle area early and hard, forcing the first hearing cancellations a month ago—stands to make that situation worse.

Courts across the country have since implemented ...