“It has come to the attention of our offices that Judge Lynn continues to refuse to wear a mask while operating in-person hearings,” wrote Alan J. Tauber, first assistant at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, in a letter dated Friday, to Margaret Murphy, administrative judge for the Family Division, where Lynn sits. “We believe this safety breach needs to be addressed expeditiously.”

“Not only was he not wearing a mask, but he was actively ordering counsel to remove their masks while litigating,” Tauber wrote on behalf of both public defenders and prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office.

Lynn, 72, was first elected to the court in 1991, and won retention elections in 2001 and 2011, despite the Philadelphia Bar Association’s rating him “not recommended” both times. His term ends in 2021. Last year, the Philadelphia Coalition for Victim Advocacy presented an award to him for his “tireless work in Family Court on behalf of crime victims.”