Today Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann and her husband both tested positive for the coronavirus.
She is the highest-ranking official in Texas who is known to have tested positive for the virus.
Just yesterday, Lehrmann participated “in an appeal over vote-by-mail ballots during the coronavirus crisis,” where she described her symptoms and dealings with the virus to the attorneys for the state and county election administrators.
The appeal was argued over Zoom, as have other matters before the court during the pandemic. The court has reportedly been working remotely since March.
Lehrmann described that she and her family started experiencing symptoms such as fever, fatigue, body aches and lethargy last week.
Yet Lehrmann found the infection surprising, citing that she and her family were “extremely careful” the past two months in staying clear of the virus while working from home, such as by cooking at home, and wearing masks and gloves when out of the house.
Lehmann also confirmed that her son, a Houston-based attorney, and his wife and infant child are also believed to have contracted the disease. While Justice Lehrmann lives and works in Austin, her son and his family frequently traveled from Houston on weekends for visits. Despite taking similar precautions to their parents, all five members of the family have suffered at least a mild fever, according to the Justice, after getting together on Mother’s Day.
The arguments over vote by mail were the latest in a series of legal proceedings to determine if Texans will be able to cast a ballot by mail in the July runoffs and November general election. The court has yet to issue their ruling.
Photo: Dan Stroud/ Wikimedia Commons
Sarah brings more than seven years of experience as a multimedia journalist to Texas Signal, where she serves as our Podcast and Video Producer, managing the company's three podcasts, including SignalCast, TexMix Podcast and Three Righteous Mamas, and assisting with copy-editing and social media as well. Sarah is also the Editor-at-Large at Brown Girl Magazine, and an avid artist, TV/film enthusiast and cook. Sarah graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Journalism, and received a Master's degree in Mass Communication from the University of Houston.
