CLEVELAND — The Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court is ordering all attorneys working in the buildings to be fully vaccinated by October in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Attorneys who wish to remain on the court's appointment lists will have to be fully vaccinated, receiving either the one dose of Johnson and Johnson or both doses of either Pfizer or Moderna, no later than Oct. 15.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court said that the order applies to any attorney paid by any Division of the Common Pleas Court, including assigned criminal defense attorneys, mediators, arbitrators, guardians ad litem and fiduciaries, among many others. The order does not apply to counsel retained in any case.
Attorneys with "qualifying medical conditions" or "sincerely held religious beliefs" will be able to request an exemption from the order, which will be reviewed by the Appointed Counsel Review Board. Those who are already vaccinated will need to provide proof of vaccination.
Those who do not have a pending exemption and who fail to provide proof of full vaccination by the Oct. 15 deadline will be removed from any list used for appointment.
The order from Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court comes on the heels of President Joe Biden's announcement Thursday of a new emergency rule requiring vaccinations or weekly testing at businesses with 100 or more employees.
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