Family Law During COVID-19: Virtual Hearings, Family Court Proceedings, and the Future

Editors' Notes
Lisa F. Grumet and Aliyah Polner
This issue is the first of two on family law and COVID-19. We are glad to present this issue at a time when vaccinations are underway in the United States and it is possible to consider a post-pandemic world.

Introduction to Family Law Quarterly, Volume 54, Number 3
Samuel V. Schoonmaker IV
Few had heard of COVID on New Year’s Day 2020, but by March, the pandemic had completely upended courts in the United States and throughout the world. Disaster has spurred reform.

Observing Online Courts: Lessons from the Pandemic
Elizabeth G. Thornburg
Courts are moving online with surprising speed. Between March 24 and June 1, 2020, Texas courts held 122,000 remote hearings with 1.3 million participants. The author studied those courts and draws lessons for the future.

Our Virtual Reality: Facing the Constitutional Dimensions of Virtual Family Court
Lynda B. Munro & Nicole M. Riel
Technology has its advantages, but virtual hearings raise serious privacy, due process, and credibility concerns. This article discusses the tension between open courts and privacy and examines the implications for the future of virtual proceedings.

The Effect of COVID-19 on International Child Abduction Cases
Robert G. Spector & Melissa A. Kucinski
The authors analyze the challenges and document the effects of COVID-19 on Hague Abduction Convention petitions for the return of children.