B6 ez M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.SATURDAy, MARCH 14 , 2020
The House gave initial approv-
al to several measures, including
a bill that expands the state’sallow the state to pause expand-
ing the reforms if they are not
working.The Senate added more than
50 changes to the House bill,
including a provision that wouldBY PAUL DUGGAN
AND SPENCER S. HSUWith almost no aspect of daily
life free f rom disruption in a t ime o f
pandemic, the normally slow-mov-
ing wheels of justice in the Wash-
ington area turned even more slug-
gish friday as officials looked for
ways to keep courts functioning
while guarding against the spread
of coronavirus in their buildings.
Across the region, all kinds of
criminal and civil cases — from
traffic-ticket hearings to a trial
stemming from former special
counsel robert S. mueller III’s in-
vestigation into election interfer-
ence — have been put on hold until
the health crisis abates.
Jurors seemed skittish about sit-
ting with others for hours in close
quarters. People with no pressing
business in courthouses were
barred from entering in some plac-
es, while judges, lawyers and ad-
ministrators conferred, trying to
decide what is n ext.
mary Ellen Barbera, the chief
judge of maryland’s Court of Ap-
peals and the state’s top judicial
official, ordered the postponement
of “all civil and criminal jury trials
in the Circuit Courts throughout
the state” that were set to begin
from monday to April 3, and she
told judges to schedule new dates.
maryland state courts will also be
closed t o the p ublic for three weeks.
“This is going to delay every ma-
jor case,” montgomery County
State’s Attorney John mcCarthy
said. He said judges are mindful,
though, that certain functions “can
never stop,” including hearings for
restraining orders, particularly in
domestic cases, and bail hearings
for suspects who are behind bars.
Because most criminal c ases e nd
in plea bargains, mcCarthy noted,
“Even without jury trials, you can
still do about 95 percent of your
criminal work.”
otherwise, maryland Attorney
General Brian E. frosh (D) even
announced that process-servers
working for plaintiffs who are su-
ing the s tate are barred indefinitely
from delivering court papers to
government officials in person. “A
party may email a complaint and
writ of summons or a subpoena,”
frosh said in a statement.
In the U.S. District Court in
Washington, a russian company
charged with orchestrating a social
media campaign to interfere in the
2016 presidential election had b een
scheduled to go o n trial April 6. But
covid-19 has intervened.
U.S. District Judge Dabney L.
friedrich told defense lawyers and
prosecutors in a conference call
that a delay of at least two months
was probable for the trial of Con-
cord management and Consulting.
The firm is owned by Ye vgeniy
Prigozhin, a catering magnate and
military contractor with ties to
russian President V ladimir Putin.
friedrich cited a growing reluc-
ta nce among potential jurors to
serve amid increasingly dire re-
po rts about the pandemic, accord-
ing to a transcript of the c all.
“The jury office has been receiv-
ing a number of calls, particularly
from older jurors, asking whether
they have to show up,” the judge
said. “This raises a few concerns —
whether we can end up with a
skewed jury pool, whether poten-
tially there could be a number of
no-shows when it comes time to
convene.”
He also told the lawyers that he
was worried that jurors would be
“distracted and nervous about be-
ing in a closed room” with fellow
panel members.
Defense attorney Eric A. Dubeli-
er, of the reed Smith firm, agreed
with the trial delay, citing disrup-
tions caused by reed Smith’s shift
to teleworking. He said it would be
difficult for him and his colleagues
to comply with a court order under
which security-sensitive docu-
ments in the case can only be han-
dled i nside t he firm’s o ffices.
“No reed Smith lawyer any-
where in the world is allowed to go
to their office,” h e said.
meanwhile, the federal court-
house in Washington — which in-
cludes the U.S. District Court and
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit — is
open only to judges, staff members
and people with official business
before a court.In D.C. Superior Court, officials
said they will announce temporary
procedures for legal proceedings
starting monday. The court will
postpone “all non-urgent matters
or conduct them telephonically”
while suspending eviction and
foreclosure hearings and keeping
juror summonses to a minimum.
The court also plans to suspend
jury trials until at least mid-April
for defendants who are not jailed.
Employees responsible for moni-
toring those defendants will be al-
lowed to take part in hearings tele-
phonically if judges approve.
In the federal court system’s
Eastern District of Virginia —
which includes courthouses in Al-
exandria, richmond, Norfolk and
Newport News — officials an-
nounced that all trials and grand
jury sessions will be postponed for
the next month, except for two
grand juries meeting in Alexandria.
“We consider our core mission to
be that of public safety and we
currently have a plan in place to
continue serving that function,”
said Zachary Te rwilliger, U.S. attor-
ney for the Eastern District of Vir-
ginia.
“In certain instances, such as
criminal jury trials, there may be a
delay, but the remainder of our law
enforcement f unction continues.”
The richmond-based federal
appeals court, which reviews cases
from maryland, Virginia and the
Carolinas, said h earings set for oral
arguments next week have been
put off.
State courts in Alexandria and
Arlington have not taken such
steps, although l awyers said j udges
have been inclined to grant contin-
uances in low-level matters.
fairfax County Circuit Court a n-
nounced the suspension of all civil
jury trials for 30 days starting fri-
day. The parties can convert a jury
trial to a bench trial.
fairfax County Common-
wealth’s Attorney Steve Descano
said friday that his office will
“broadly agree” to delay traffic cas-
es and misdemeanors, felony pre-
liminary hearings, circuit court tri-
als and pleas over the month to
reduce the number of people whohave to come to the courthouse.
Parisa Dehghani-Ta fti, the chief
prosecutor for Arlington and falls
Church, is moving to postpone “all
non-urgent” cases of defendants
who are not behind bars. for cases
involving people who are jailed,
“essential staff will remain avail-
able,” s he said.
As for prisoners, the fairfax
County Sheriff ’s o ffice has a dopted
numerous protocols to prepare for
a coronavirus outbreak at the jail,
spokeswoman Andrea C eisler said.
During the intake process, pris-
oners are asked about any recent
travel to five countries with severe
outbreaks within the past two
weeks. Deputies ask new prisoners
if they are experiencing fevers or
other symptoms of c ovid-19. Any-
one suspected of having contracted
the illness is given a face mask and
kept isolated at t he jail, Ceisler s aid.
The Alexandria jail has barred
contact between prisoners and visi-
tors, requiring them to converse
through glass. The Virginia Depart-
ment of Corrections, meanwhile,
said it has suspended all visits at
state prisons u ntil further n otice.
In maryland, state courts will be
staffed to handle emergency mat-
ters s uch as domestic violence p eti-
tions, bail reviews and search war-
rants.
mcCarthy, the montgomery
County prosecutor, said his office
has closed to walk-in visitors u nless
they call first, and he has encour-
aged his staff to work from home.
The county also has suspended
its court-diversion program in
which people arrested for minor
offenses are given a chance to clear
their records by performing volun-
tary community service, such as
working on litter-removal crews.
“We’re not bringing a bunch of
people together, putting them in
the same van and taking them
some place where they get out and
walk around,” mcCarthy said. “We
are deferring t hat for now.”
paul [email protected]
[email protected]ann e. Marimow, Justin Jouvenal, Keith
l. alexander, dan Morse and rachel
Weiner contributed to this report.THE REGION
Coronavirus crisis closes courthouses, delays trials
sUsan WalsH/assocIaTed Press
The e. barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, which houses the U.s. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit a nd the U.s. District Court in Washington, has limited who may enter.the session ends next month — if
not sooner.
“We have asked House and
Senate leadership to prioritize
legislation in their communities
to the extent possible to finish
critical bills in an expedited fash-
ion,” the joint statement reads.
“In order to fulfill our constitu-
tional duties and protect the
health and safety o f all maryland-
ers, we need to be sure that the
Governor has the resources nec-
essary to maintain public health
during this extraordinary time.”
The Senate stopped work
abruptly after Jennings reported
the audio streaming of their ses-
sion was down, which meant the
members of the public who had
been barred for the building
would be unable to observe the
proceedings in any way. “If the
Internet stream is not working, I
think we should recess,” fergu-
son said.
Government watchdog groups
Common Cause and maryland
PIrG urged the legislature to
adjourn if the public is unable to
observe them, writing in a letter
to presiding officers that “the
legislative process is taking place
without the full voice and input
of the people of maryland.”
[email protected]
[email protected]discrimination law to protect
hair texture, Afro hairstyles and
protective hairstyles, such as
braids, twists and locs; a measure
that removes the governor from
the parole process for certain
prisoners sentenced to life; and a
bill that imposes the sales tax on
lobbying, public relations and
telemarketing.
maryland is one of about 25
states where black l awmakers are
pushing the anti-discrimination
bill on black hairstyles.
The bill to exclude the gover-
nor from the parole process has
been introduced in past years but
has failed to gain traction. This
year’s version also would in-
crease the amount of time an
inmate must serve before apply-
ing for parole, from 15 years to 20
years.
The sales tax bill — which
contained a laundry list of “luxu-
ry services,” including dog walk-
ing, tanning and fur storage —
was pared down to affect only
lobbying, public relations and
telemarketing.
The presiding officers issued a
statement late Thursday to their
members that the General As-
sembly would hold rare Saturday
and Sunday sessions to consider
some of the “critical” bills that
need legislative approval beforeenne A. Jones (D-Baltimore
County).
“Please don’t degrade our col-
laborative work to Twitter bombs
in this time of uncertainty,” she
tweeted.
In legislative action on friday,
both chambers gave initial ap-
proval to a bill that gives Hogan
the authority to reduce costs for
testing for the virus, ban price
gouging, improve access to tele-
health and ensure private and
public employees who are under
quarantine do not lose their jobs.
The legislation was introduced
earlier this week by the presiding
officers and Sen. Clarence K. L am
(D-Howard), the only doctor in
the state Senate.
In the Senate, lawmakers gave
initial approval to sweeping pub-
lic education reforms that,
among other things, raise teacher
pay, expand prekindergarten and
offer more programs to prepare
students for college and careers.
“We’re doing things on a state-
wide scale,” said Sen. Paul G.
Pinsky (D-Prince George’s), the
chairman of the Senate Educa-
tion, Health and Environmental
Affairs Committee. “We’re doing
things, in some ways, that haven’t
been done.”
Assembly from b1
Md. lawmakers to evaluate ending legislative session early on ‘day-by-day’ basis
MIcHael robInson cHaVez/THe WasHIngTon PosT
maryland senate President bill Ferguson (D-baltimore City) speaks at a news conference a t the state
House on Thursday. Ferguson said legislators will prioritize “the most critical and important work.”In 1 987, s he joined the telecom-
munications company Pacific
Te lesis Group, where she rose to
become vice president of federal
relations in the Washington of-
fice.
In recent years, ms. Gikovich
was an independent government
relations consultant with the
Crane Group, a lobbying firm
that she and Crane co-founded,
with offices in Washington and
Sacramento.
Lucie Yvonne Gikovich was
born in Los Angeles County, Ca-
lif., on Dec. 20, 1949. Her father
immigrated to the United States
from what is now Croatia, and
her mother also was of Croatian
heritage. In Washington, ms. Gik-
ovich helped create a Croatian
congressional caucus.
She grew up outside Los Ange-
les in montebello, where she
attended Catholic schools, and
was a 1971 graduate of the now
defunct Immaculate Heart Col-
lege in Los Angeles, where she
studied history and political sci-
ence.
After her graduation, she nar-
rowly lost a race for the monte-
bello City Council — her slogan
was “make the Switch, Vote Gik-
ovich,” according to Crane. She
volunteered for Brown’s 1974 gu-
bernatorial campaign before
joining his office the next year.
She had no immediate survi-
vors.
[email protected]BY EMILY LANGERLucie Gikovich, a top aide to
Jerry Brown (D) during his first
tenure as California governor,
from 1975 to 1983, and later a
public relations official for major
League Baseball and a longtime
Washington lobbyist, died march
11 at her home in the District. She
was 70.
The cause was pancreatic can-
cer, said a friend and business
partner, Dan Crane. ms. Gikovich
had previously overcome two
bouts of breast cancer.
ms. Gikovich spent the forma-
tive years of her career on
Brown’s gubernatorial staff, serv-
ing as scheduler, executive assis-
tant in his personal office and
Cabinet secretary. She also was
Brown’s campaign press secre-
tary in 1982 when he unsuccess-
fully sought a U.S. Senate seat,
losing to future California gover-
nor Pete Wilson (r).
(Brown returned to the gover-
nor’s office in 2011, serving two
more terms before he was suc-
ceeded by fellow Democrat Gavin
Newsom.)
ms. Gikovich subsequently
worked for the 1984 Los Angeles
olympic organizing Committee
under the direction of Peter Ue-
berroth, a business executive who
later became major League Base-
ball commissioner and hired ms.
Gikovich as the organization’s
coordinator of public affairs.LUCIE GIKOVICH, 70Lobbyist also worked
in government, baseball
obituaries
housing code improvements.
The founding of TENAC coin-
cided with the early years of a
national urban gentrification
trend in which inner-city neigh-
borhoods were restored and reno-
vated, often displacing longtime
residents who found themselves
confronted with rent increases
they could not afford.
mr. mcGrath lobbied the D.C.
Council for laws barring excessive
rent increases and arbitrary evic-
tions. He sought means of redress
against leaky roofs and ceilings,
malfunctioning air conditioners,
and heating systems that failed.
As a witness at City Council
hearings, he mocked complaints
by landlords and property o wners
associations that rental regula-
tions were depriving them o f hon-
est profits.
James Patrick mcGrath was
born i n Boston on Sept. 1, 1937. He
graduated from American Uni-
versity in 1966 and received a
master’s degree in literature from
Georgetown University in 1973.
Survivors include two brothers.
[email protected]BY BART BARNESJames P. mcGrath, who found-
ed a tenants’ rights, protection
and advocacy organization in
Washington and led it for 25
years, died march 3 at a health-
care center in the District. He w as
82.
The cause was complications
from a heart attack he suffered in
January, said a friend, rob Lear-
do.
mr. mcGrath retired in 1999
after 25 years as a researcher and
federal pay specialist at the Li-
brary of Congress. Earlier, he had
been a congressional committee
staff member, an aide to House
Speaker John W. mcCormack (D-
mass.), a researcher at a Washing-
ton law firm and a fundraiser for
the American Cancer Society.
for 45 years, he lived in an
apartment near Dupont Circle in
Northwest Washington, and in
1992 he formed the nonprofit D.C.
Te nants’ Advocacy Coalition (TE-
NAC) to press for strengthened
rent control laws, tenants’ rights
in dispute with landlords, andJAMES P. MCGRATH, 82Tenants’ rights activist
ran an advocacy group
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