Molly Justice
Director of Communications & Online Media
National Center for State Courts
757.259.1564
State Chief Justices call for end to business as usual in ‘eviction courts’ in Times guest essay
Williamsburg, Va., Jan. 14, 2022 – As the country faces a potential tidal wave of eviction filings, the top judges from the District of Columbia and Texas have written a guest essay in The New York Times urging courts and judges around the country to embrace eviction diversion programs.
“Prevention and diversion programs enable courts to serve as a path toward stability. By holding virtual hearings, proactively sending tenants information about legal aid and rental assistance and slowing down the eviction process to give both tenants and landlords time to access those resources, courts ensure that their process is as fair as possible to all involved,” wrote D.C. Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht.
Blackburne-Rigsby and Hecht both sit on the advisory council for the National Center for State Courts’ Eviction Diversion Initiative.
The guest essay can be read in its entirety on the website of the The New York Times.
Blackburne-Rigsby and Hecht are both available for interviews by contacting NCSC’s Director of Communications and Online Media Molly Justice at 757-259-1564.