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| I asked rhetorically at our last Commission Meeting: When will our state's Judges under age 65 be offered COVID-19 Vaccination? |
As the efforts to vaccinate the maximum number of citizens
nationwide accelerates, some very essential workers are apparently being
overlooked. Of course, everybody knows
the most vulnerable citizens, in care homes, immunocompromised, and over 65
years of age needed the shot yesterday.
And locally we are hitting that target, with greater than 50% of the
citizens over 65 being inoculated against COVID-19.
But now as I read about the next group of citizens eligiblefor shots—including teachers and some other professions with members over age
50—I still don’t see the state’s Judges listed.
They really have nobody pulling for them. Apparently, nobody
is advocating for them. I
certainly don’t speak for them---but I am writing this because I
believe there may be a HUGE glaring blind-spot that’s shifting focus away from
this essential, yet miniscule, cohort of essential state workers.
Judges.
They get overlooked all the time; folks really don’t think
about them. It is esoteric, what they do
and how they do it. When important
ceremonies occur, they don’t get the invite.
When they happen to attend important functions—I have witnessed hosts of
such events trip over themselves to recognize every other elected official in
attendance in such venues—and NOT recognize judges. They are oftentimes an afterthought--unless
one is summoned to appear before a judge. They’re severely restricted in what
they can do socially, what they can say politically, and how they must comport
themselves publicly. Most folks do
not realize what a person gives up in terms of privacy and privileges when
he/she becomes a Judge. But
that’s a whole different topic. I would
certainly have not known much about judges and what they do had my only brother
not become one. But I do have a unique
vantage point though- in that my brother has been a circuit court judge here
locally for nearly the last decade and a half.
And we talk frequently. Multiple
times weekly.
So far as I have been told—the 16 judges seated in Escambia
County under age 65 have not been offered the shot. “Well why should they get one?”,
folks might question sternly.
Here is an example of why: Just one, and it is personal. I am hyper-attenuated to this pandemic as
one of my closest, best friends, Brad Crager, died of COVID-19 in January. He was healthy, yet it took him out after an
agonizing 2-week hospitalization out in Southern California. We worked together when I was in college, we were friends for over 30 years. He was like a brother to me.
Then, last week, my only real brother, Gary, fell ill. My only brother. He got really sick. Fever, chills, and a high temperature. He was out of it. He had not/has not been inoculated for
COVID-19. I was worried.
But looking beyond my own concern for a loved one—this
illness and related several days quarantine for the COVID-19 test’s results to
come back meant 60 jury trials on his docket had to be cancelled. Sixty of them. Attorneys, defendants, witnesses, victims,
jurors, and public officials were all delayed. Attorneys from around the country had to
reshuffle their schedules, support staff, security-everyone’s schedule was
upended. What about folks scheduled to
appear who took personal leave from their jobs to attend? Now, they will have to take even more precious, valuable leave for
these rescheduled trials.
Prisoners in our jail that may have been released—had
to stay in Jail.
How much did this one, minor, three-day delay cost? Who knows, but it costs a lot.
Thankfully, my brother is fine, he tested negative and he is back on the bench. Had he been given the
