The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all communities, but perhaps none more vulnerable than domestic violence survivors ordered to "stay at home" with their abusers. Further, survivors seeking legal assistance and protection find courts closed, police overwhelmed, and jails considering releasing inmates without warning to crime victims. This webinar considers how COVID responses are affecting legal responses to domestic violence in five key jurisdictions: California, Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, and Washington. We also include a brief review of the recent federal COVID legislation and what it offers DV survivors. We learn about challenges faced in communities across the nation and lessons learned in these last few weeks as we rapidly respond to this pandemic and the needs of domestic violence survivors.
April 28, 2020 COVID-19 WEBINAR SERIES
Report from the Field: Domestic Violence Survivors & the Impact of COVID-19
Welcome and Introduction
- Judy Perry Martinez, President, American Bar Association; Of Counsel, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn
Panelists
- Kelly Behre, Director, UC Davis Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic, UC Davis School of Law
- Judge Bernadette D’Souza, Judge, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Louisiana; President, National Association of Women Judges
- Rebecca Henry, Deputy Chief Counsel, ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence
- Maricarmen Garza, Group Coordinator, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s Victim Rights Group; Director, Legal Alliance for Survivors of Sexual Assault Project
- David Martin, Senior Deputy Prosecutor, King County; Supervisor, KCPAO Domestic Violence Unit; Co-Manager, Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Unit
- Dipti Pidikiti-Smith, Director of Advocacy, Legal Services of Northern Virginia
Moderator
- Andrew King-Ries, Professor, University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law; Chair, ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence
Joint Sponsors: ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence, ABA Judicial Division
Co-Sponsors: ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities, ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty, ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, ABA Criminal Justice Section, ABA Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants
Resources
Presentation: David Martin
ABA Disaster Relief Pro Bono Portal
Washington Memo on Guidance for Law Enforcement Service of Civil Protection Orders and Criminal No Contact Orders Under COVID-19
Washington Governor 20-45 COVID-19 Protection Orders and Personal Service
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