Letter to Attorney General regarding teleworking updates
Dear Attorney General Barr,
On May 13, 2020, we sent you a letter regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact it has on the working lives of Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs). We praised you for your leadership in creating a safe working environment for AUSAs by encouraging teleworking and video conferences for court proceedings whenever possible. Some Districts around the country have begun grand jury and trial proceedings that require the presence of AUSAs. In those instances our colleagues have accordingly performed their jobs as required by their oath of office and will continue to do so when necessary even though it increases the chances of contracting a terrible illness with potentially long term health effects and can, in some cases, be fatal to them and their families.
Despite the fact that teleworking helps protect AUSAs and their families from contracting the virus and has proven to be effective during the past several months, we have learned that certain Districts are requiring some AUSAs to return to their office to conduct work that could safely and effectively be done via teleworking. …
