New York City just published a 75-page document outlining some legal guidelines to be observed in the event of a major terrorist attack, chemical contamination or zombie outbreak. Basically, when the government declares a state of emergency, they can legally do all sorts of things to keep shit under control.
Curfews, quarantines, warrantless searches, and the slaughter of infected animals are all fair game. NYT has a nice, sobering overview:
The image of an infected New Yorker surrounded by a masked judge, lawyers and court officers was a miserable one even for this gruesome guide. “The wearing of respirators by the multiple participants in a courtroom setting, would no doubt be disruptive,” the manual notes. One alternative, it suggests, is that the infected person be required to wear a respirator. Another: “Isolating an infectious litigant in a separate room with an audio-visual connection to the courtroom.”
Uh, sorry judge, I’m not going to be able to make it to my court date because I’m too busy stockpiling guns. [NYT]