Seattle City Attorney’s Office facilities are closed this week after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, and staff have been operating remotely. Thankfully, our employee is glad to report that he has fully recovered and is still in home isolation for a 72-hour no-symptom recovery period. As a precaution, the City Attorney’s Office will remain closed through March 27th with nearly all staff continuing critical tasks remotely.
City Attorney Pete Holmes remains symptom-free and has been working remotely in self-quarantine after last being in contact with the employee on March 9. Pete has not been tested for COVID-19 due to limited test availability.
Our Civil Division has been actively involved in COVID-19 response, providing legal advice to City policymakers and departments as they address new and ongoing challenges. Court hearings on most civil cases have been rightly postponed until at least April 24.
Our Criminal Division has been diligently managing in-custody misdemeanor prosecutions throughout the declared State of Emergency.
Per Order of the Washington State Supreme Court, Seattle Municipal Court has suspended all non-essential hearings through at least April 24, which means only defendants held in King County Jail custody will have their cases considered for prosecution during this time. From reports we’ve seen, defendants at some courts were still being ordered to appear simply to ask for a case to be continued to a later date. Seattle Municipal Court (the jurisdiction of Seattle City Attorney’s Office prosecutors) halted that practice on March 13 via Court Order.
During this period of adjusted Seattle Municipal Court operations, prosecutors have been quickly but thoroughly reevaluating the cases of those defendants held on bail. Bail should be sought or maintained for those considered to be a threat to public safety (including domestic violence offenders, repeat DUIs, and random assaults of strangers). Bail should be reconsidered for those held because they’re considered unlikely to appear at their next court appearance. If defense counsel can show a client has an underlying medical issue, our prosecutors will certainly consider that when making decisions. As always, it’s ultimately up to a judge to decide whether to impose or revoke bail.
Barring extraordinary circumstances, we anticipate other defendants who are out of King County Jail custody will have their cases considered for charges at a later date, after April 24.
Our prosecutors and Victim Advocates will continue to seek No Contact Orders after domestic violence incidents because no one should suffer in close quarters with their abuser. Advocates can assist petitioners with requests for civil protection orders by phone at 206-477-1103.
Please keep an eye out for your neighbors, wash your hands, and keep your distance.
Yours in service,
The Seattle City Attorney’s Office Team