In Orange County, California, at least 34,646 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Sadly, 566 of our residents have died from illnesses linked to the virus. Nearly 500,000 Californians have contracted the coronavirus, and 8,445 have succumbed statewide. At the Law Offices of Katie Walsh, we would like to express our condolences to everyone impacted by the pandemic.

We hope that you are taking preventive measures each day to safeguard your health during these challenging times.

Nearly every aspect of our day-to-day lives is different from before the outbreak. Tens of millions of Americans are out of work. According to the Brookings Institute, more than one in five households in the United States with children age 12 and under are food insecure. Financial hardship is leaving kids hungry; desperation is rampant throughout the country.

Spending most, if not all, of the day at home due to social distancing and “stay at home” orders is the new normal for a majority of the population. As a result, the way businesses, organizations, government systems, and the legal system operate is changing before our eyes.

It’s been nearly four months since an emergency order was issued, allowing courthouses across California to close to the public. An untold number of court cases are postponed as a result. While most Californians are unable to visit Orange County courts, it’s possible to handle pressing legal matters over the internet thanks to a new online portal.

Orange County Court User Portal

The Superior Court of California – County of Orange – has consolidated many of its website functions, allowing citizens to attend to traffic infractions and lower-level criminal cases, The Orange County Register reports. With the exception of jury trials, most low-level offense requirements can be handled online.

Orange County residents can turn to the Court User Portal to take care of payments or set up payment plans, submit electronic correspondence to the court, reserve a court date, or set up email or text reminders for future hearing or payment dates. You can also use the portal to search for cases or citations.

Court facilities are a prime example of where large groups of people gather. Avoiding large crowds is essential to reducing the spread of COVID-19.

“The portal will provide an essential channel for access to justice, especially during the challenging times of COIVD-19 when we must maintain social distancing,” said Orange County Superior Court Presiding Judge, Kirk Nakamura.

In order to utilize the tool, you will have to create a My Court Portal account to access the dashboard. Please double-check everything you submit to the portal; the court is not liable for errors or omissions or any of the information provided.

Orange County Juvenile Defense Attorney

If your child is facing legal challenges, please contact the Law Offices of Katie Walsh. As a former prosecutor, Attorney Walsh has the expertise to advocate for your family and help bring about the best possible outcome. You will be pleased to know that the courts are permitting attorneys to appear by video or in-person for all or most misdemeanors amid the pandemic—sparing clients from exposure risks.

Words of inspiration can enable people to have the courage to be bold and accomplish great things. Unfortunately, what people say can also have the power to cause great harm, especially to those who are struggling. The cliché saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” does not always hold true. People have the ability to exert their influence over their peers, causing them to do harm to themselves or others.

We all, in America, are guaranteed the right to free speech under the First Amendment. It is a cherished right that helps make the United States a great nation. However, there are times when the right to speak freely comes into question, incidents when what people write or say leads to a death for instance. Such is the case of a Michelle Carter, who in the 2014 sent dozens of text messages to her boyfriend Carter Roy III, 18, urging him to take his own life.

Roy did in fact take his own life, which Michelle Carter will stand trial for in Massachusetts, the Associated Press reports. A grand jury unanimously ruled that Carter’s texts had a “direct, causal link” to Roy’s death. Carter is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, and if she is found guilty the case could set a historic precedent.

“In sum, we conclude that there was probable cause to show that the coercive quality of the defendant’s verbal conduct overwhelmed whatever willpower the eighteen year old victim had to cope with his depression, and that but for the defendant’s admonishments, pressure, and instructions, the victim would not have gotten back into the truck and poisoned himself to death,” Justice Robert Cordy wrote for the court in the ruling.

One of the text messages that then 17 year old Carter sent her unstable boyfriend, who got out of his truck that he was filling up with tailpipe exhaust, instructed Roy to “get back in,” according to the article. When Roy was unsure about going through with the suicide, Carter wrote:

• “I thought you wanted to do this. The time is right and you’re ready, you just need to do it!”
• “You can’t think about it. You just have to do it. You said you were gonna do it. Like I don’t get why you aren’t.”

Naturally, Carter’s attorney Joseph Cataldo is claiming that her texts were free speech, falling under the protection of the First Amendment and were not the cause of Carter’s death. Cataldo pointed out that Massachusetts doesn’t have a law against encouraging or assisting suicide.

Katie Walsh is an attorney in Orange County, California. Attorney Walsh concentrates her law practice on juvenile defense, criminal defense, and victim’s rights.

Contact the Law Offices of Katie Walsh online or at (714) 351-0178.