Updated June 18, 2020
It is no surprise that court operations in the Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia area have been greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. While each district has followed its own path, all have drastically reduced the amount and types of proceedings being addressed. They have also radically altered how those matters are heard. For the most part, courts are only hearing emergency matters where time is of the essence and there is an issue of the health, safety, and welfare of an individual. These include, but are not limited to, peace/restraining orders, bail reviews, and certain guardianship proceedings. All jury trials have been halted. Most hearings that do take place are conducted remotely whenever possible. In-person proceedings take place within safe distance guidelines.
Below are links to the orders and information regarding present operations in the various judicial systems in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. These orders and the information supplied are very fluid and a person with business before these courts should check the links for updates. It is also important to note that even if an in-person hearing is necessary, the courts have also restricted physical access for other reasons such as international travel within 14 days of hearing or showing symptoms of fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Some of the local courts may also revise their own operations, so check the individual court before appearing or filing.
Lastly, keep in mind that when conducting remote hearings, the parties and counsel should act and present themselves as if they were in court. Beware too that certain rules still apply, such as forbidding the recording of the remote hearing. It will take time to return to normal operations, and the various judicial conferences will layout more guidelines as we emerge from the pandemic.
Links to the Executive Orders from the Governors of Maryland and Virginia and Mayor of the District of Columbia are also provided for guidance on public requirements in general.
Maryland State Courts
- Courts reopened for limited operations June 8, 2020. Courts are still understaffed and most hearings still remote.
- https://www.courts.state.md.us/coronavirusupdate
United States District Courts for Maryland
- Court enters “Phase II” of its re-opening plan June 22, 2020.
- Limited increase in in-person hearings, most proceedings still remote and encouraged to be remote.
- https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/sites/mdd/files/COVID-19-Order20-Phase2.pdf
Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings
- All hearings to be held remotely until July 3, 2020.
- http://oah.maryland.gov/
District of Columbia Superior Court
- All trials scheduled before 6/19 postponed.
- All deadlines by rule or statute tolled until 6/19/20 except Civil 1 &2 [responses to motions]
- Hearings in Civil 1 & 2 to be held remotely.
- https://www.dccourts.gov/coronavirus
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- No jury trials until at least 6/11/20. Other matters to be heard beginning 6/1/20.
- https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/coronavirus-covid-19-response-information-and-announcements
Virginia Commonwealth Courts
- Emergency procedures in effect until June 28, 202. Court encourages remote proceedings.
- http://www.courts.state.va.us/news/items/covid_19.pdf
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Limited in-person proceedings. Encourages remote proceedings.
- http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/covid-19.html
United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- Increase in limited in-person proceedings beginning June 29, 2020.
- http://www.vawd.uscourts.gov/media/31965792/covid-19-phase-i-reopening.pdf
Executive Orders Applying to All Residents
Maryland
Allowing for increase in limited resumption of indoor dining, swimming, sports, salons, etc. [all non-essential businesses]
https://governor.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Gatherings-NINTH-AMENDED-June-10.pdf
Virginia
Limited non-essential businesses operations. sports, swimming, public gatherings allowed. but limited.
https://www.virginia.gov/coronavirus/
District of Columbia
Allowing for limited resumption of public gatherings, public operations.
https://coronavirus.dc.gov/phaseone
Anderson & Quinn, LLC is a law firm based in Rockville, Maryland, providing individuals, businesses, corporations, and healthcare institutions with the legal and litigation support they need to protect revenues. Philip Wright is an associate of Anderson & Quinn, LLC, 25 Wood Lane, Rockville, MD, 20850. Tel: 301-762-3303.
The information contained in this article is general in nature and is not offered as legal advice for any particular situation. The opinions and conclusions in this blog post are solely those of the author. Any links provided by the author in this article are for informational purposes only and by doing so the author does not adopt or incorporate their contents. See our Disclaimer for additional details.
