Thanksgiving in the Time of COVID-19

The year 2020 has been a challenging (to say the least) period of time for many of us, in New Jersey, in the United States, and worldwide. Over 250,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, and many more have been hospitalized or “merely” sickened. A contentious Presidential election, in which the incumbent attempted to sabotage the voting and then baselessly sought to void the results with unsupported claims of voting fraud, added to the collective misery.

But there are things to be thankful for as Thanksgiving arrives tomorrow. Preliminary test results hold out hope that a vaccine for COVID-19 will soon arrive and may be effective for most. And any reasonable dispute as to the election results is now behind us, as the “contested” states have been certifying their results, which will lead to a new Administration on January 20, 2021.

This post was going to give thanks for those judges and other public servants who put principle above politics in dealing with the groundless claims of the loser in the Presidential race. But the column by Thomas Friedman in today’s New York Times, available here, offers that thanks in a way that cannot be improved upon. At a previous Thanksgiving, this blog expressed appreciation for an independent judiciary. Now that thanks is justifiably extended to non-judicial personnel as well.

Despite everything, we can be thankful for our families, our friends, and the close-knit New Jersey legal community, among other blessings that some or all of us may share. A happy and healthy Thanksgiving to all!