Facing what many believed would be a catastrophic situation with evictions and Housing Court proceedings due to COVID-19, the state’s Housing Court reinvented it’s way of doing business last summer and fall and now – since re-opening for filings last October – have a system that is more user-friendly and provides more protections for all parties. It’s even a system that has modernized the court in short order, and many of the changes could continue long after the pandemic, said Chief Justice Tim Sullivan. “It really is incredible how COVID-19 protocols have forced us to do things differently, but also opened our eyes to some possibilities for the future,” said Sullivan in a recent interview. “After we get through this difficult time, we’re already starting to talk about some things that are improving access…We’ve had to think differently and accommodate the litigant population in ways that before the pandemic were probably unthinkable. Some procedures may remain and may be implemented long-term.”