Adaptation of Courts to Disruption

Abstract

This article reflects on how courts in the USA and England have remained active and resilient in providing access to justice, or due process, during times of emergency and disruptive events. The focus here is not to define emergencies per se but to analyse the impact of emergencies and disruptive events that interrupt the functioning of courts and access to justice. The article provides a brief examination of some emergencies and disruptions and the expected responses to those interruptions. The question for this paper is: how do courts adapt (or are adapted) in times of emergencies that disrupt their ordinary operation, both in terms of continuity of operations and in terms of protection of rights through judicial review? This paper will primarily examine two common law examples (from England and the USA) of how the courts adapted to such disruptions.