Attendance today was 19 of 26, or 74 percent.
Today's meeting was virtual in nature. We had 19 members participate in today's meeting. Those in attendance included: Robert, Rich, Gordon, Richard Biggers, Doug, Mike Castro, Tim, Rick, Larry, George, Pat, Sharon, Bud, Piper, Michael Missildine, Neal, Greg, Shep, and Richard Wells. Alex Fuller also joined us as a guest.
Our program for the day was an update regarding District Court operations from District Court Judge Piper McCraw.
Piper began her presentation by providing an overview of the various levels of Courts operating within Collin County. The County has five JP Courts, moving to four: one Probate Court: seven Courts at Law: and 13 District Courts. Two District Courts were added in 2015, with two additional courts added in 2019. District Courts may hear criminal, civil, and family cases. Piper's court specializes in family law. Within District Courts, criminal cases are prioritized. Piper then spoke to the role of the Judge in the Court process. In summary, the Judge is present to keep everyone playing by a fair set of rules. She is the Umpire for the process. Of interest, Piper stated that an increasing percentage of citizens are choosing to represent themselves in the Judicial process. This makes the Judge's job more difficult, as most lay-people are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the legal / judicial process. Piper spoke regarding a typical day for her. She highlighted that she spends a great deal of time dispensing with administrative matters at nights and on weekends. Piper also spoke to the impact of the Pandemic on Court operations. She is proud of the County's response from a technological standpoint. Court operations under the Pandemic have not been completely without issue, but the court is functioning and justice is being served. This was a very informative discussion and we are proud to have Judge McCraw as a Rotarian, representing our club.
The meeting adjourned shortly thereafter.
Announcements
1) Neal will be meeting with Norma's to determine a schedule / manner to reinstitute in-person meetings.
2) A few of the attendees this morning did not have a name associated with their video picture. I have two members that I am unable to account for. Tim, I got you. Roger, Steve, were you attending today?
3) George announced that blood drives will begin again in the near future. He does not have specifics yet, but will work with Daniel Long to fill in the details.
