Judge should not have been identified as having covid

Published 1:30 am Monday, January 31, 2022

To identify Judge Cassandra Lopez-Shaw as having covid-19 was a shameless move on the part of Snohomish County Prosecutor Adam Cornell to publicly humiliate the judge (“Snohhomish County judge accused of ‘needlessly’ exposing staff to covid,” The Herald, Jan. 22).

Her health information is private, and it is protected by law.

No one should give out any information on her health status without her signed authorization. Here’s a little more information about how this works.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, provides privacy protections for protected health information.

It’s just plain wrong what Cornell did. Someone should sue him! And The Herald for publishing it. This prosecutor’s office is highly unprofessional.

However, the point Cornell was making is an important point, but should not have named Judge Lopez-Shaw. And he didn’t need to name her to make his point.

Becky Karschney

Camano Island