Closures and Modified Service in the Superior Courts of California

At an emergency meeting held on March 28, 2020, the Judicial Council unanimously approved a number of measures to assist the courts. The Judicial Council’s actions follow the Governor’s emergency order empowering the Judicial Council and Chief Justice to take necessary temporary action to enable the courts to conduct business and continue to operate while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her order includes the following directives:

• All jury trials are suspended and continued for 60 days. Courts may conduct a trial at an earlier date upon finding of good cause shown or through use of remote technology when appropriate.
• Time periods to begin criminal and civil trials is extended for 60 days, though courts may conduct trials earlier upon finding of good cause or through remote technology when appropriate.
• Superior courts are authorized to adopt any proposed rules or rule amendment that is intended to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to take effect immediately, without advance circulation for 45 days of public comment. A court adopting any such rule change must immediately distribute the new or amended rule, and no litigant’s substantive rights shall be prejudiced for failing to comply with the requirements of a new or amended rule until at least 20 days after the rule change has been distributed.

See the full order in the link

The Court will accept filings for emergency criminal and juvenile matters only beginning March 30, 2020. The Court will begin accepting certain filings for these matters on April 6, 2020. Unlawful Detainer matters may not be filed at this time. Traffic matters will not be handled at this time. The Court will not schedule hearings or reset hearings that were scheduled during the closure period until the Court reopens, with the exception of urgent matters described above and those to be set forth in Emergency Local Rules.

1. Felony and misdemeanor criminal arraignments
2. Felony pre-preliminary and preliminary hearings
3. Felony sentencings
4. Juvenile initial hearings and jurisdictional hearings for dependency and juvenile justice
5. Family domestic violence temporary restraining orders
6. Family law ex parte hearings
7. Probate applications for temporary guardianship
8. Probate applications for temporary conservatorship
9. Civil harassment
10. Civil ex parte requests
11. Any other case a judge finds good cause to hear during this time

All other hearings will be rescheduled. The court will send notice to attorneys or parties who represent themselves. New order extending the conditions above still exist. More conditions have been added

• In-custody Criminal Arraignments
• Juvenile Detention Hearings
• Preliminary Hearings in which time has not been waived
• Ex-parte Temporary Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
• Ex-parte Civil Temporary Restraining Orders, including Civil Harassment, Workplace Violence, Gun Violence and Elder Abuse
• Ex-parte Emergency Petitions for Temporary Conservatorship
• Ex-parte Emergency Petitions for Temporary Guardianship
• Ex-parte Family Code Temporary Emergency Orders
• Ex-parte Emergency Civil Injunction Temporary Restraining Orders
• Ex-Parte applications for orders based on stipulation

All Clerk’s offices will be closed to the public effective Monday, March 23.

All jurors summoned between the weeks of 3/23 – 4/6/20 do not need to report.

Effective 3/20, all traffic and non-traffic infraction matters are postponed for at least 30 days.

If you are alitigant who requires self-help services, you may call 213-830-0845 to seek assistance with Restraining Order forms packets over the phone and referrals for additional self-help services.

Beverly Hills, Catalina, and Spring Street Courthouses will be closed until at least April 16, 2020. Sylmar Courthouse will be closed until March 27, 2020.

All child waiting rooms are closed.

YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ENTRY INTO THE COURTHOUSE WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL.

• Out of Custody Criminal Arraignments, excluding felony arraignments on informations.
• Out of Custody Misdemeanor Pre-Trial Conferences.
• Truancy Court.
• Drug Court.
• Behavioral Health Court.
• Traffic Arraignments.
• Criminal Fine Reviews.
• Civil and Probate Jury and Court Trials.
• Unlimited Civil Motions.
• Limited Civil Motions and Trials – excepting Unlawful Detainers.
• Small Claims Hearings.
• Adoption Proceedings.
• Non-urgent Trust & Estate Matters.
• Case Management Conferences.
• Mandatory Settlement Conferences.
• Non-Emergency Family Hearings and Trials.
• Non-Emergency Child Support Hearings.
• Friday Morning Walk-In Calendar

• All San Joaquin Courthouses will be closed to the public for general business except for limited purposes. The Lodi Courthouses are closed. The Court will be closed Monday March 30th and Tuesday MArch 31st.

For unlawful detainer matters, March 18, 2020 through March 31, 2020 are deemed holidays. Jury trials to be suspended or extended for 60 days. The Court will not be hearing Law and Motion matters from, at least, March 17 through April 7, 2020.

Because the Court is operating at reduced staffing levels through April 7, 2020, we anticipate that Law and Motion hearings will not be heard until after April 7, 2020. Therefore, all Law and Motion matters are continued and will need to be rescheduled.

All clerk’s offices will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. each weekday (excluding court holidays). The Self-Help Center (SHC) in Watsonville will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. weekdays (excluding court holidays) for emergency and time sensitive matters only. The Law Library has temporarily eliminated in-person services while the Santa Cruz County shelter in place order is in effect. All public computer terminals at the Watsonville Court, Civil (Room 110 at 701 Ocean Street), Criminal (Room 120 at 701 Ocean Street) are closed until further notice. All public computer terminals at the Watsonville Court, Civil (Room 110 at 701 Ocean Street), Criminal (Room 120 at 701 Ocean Street) are closed until further notice.

All no time waived felony and misdemeanor hearings and court appearances in both the Vallejo and Fairfield courthouses, that are set between March 20, 2020, and April 5, 2020, will be heard in the Fairfield courthouse on the date presently set.

Jury Services recognizes the public’s concerns presented by COVID-19. Many criminal jury trials are being continued. As this occurs, the need for jurors lessens. Follow the reporting instructions on your jury summons to know the outcome of your jury service.

All non-traffic infraction and traffic infraction matters scheduled between March 20, 2020 and April 5, 2020 will be continued. The court will provide notice of the continued hearing date.

All juvenile delinquency and dependency detentions, arraignments and other hearings will remain as scheduled unless you have been notified not to appear or the parties have an approved stipulation or order for continuance. Matters will be heard in Courtroom 101 in the Hall of Justice in Fairfield.

The Court will continue to process requests for Temporary Restraining Orders, including domestic violence, civil harassment and elder abuse orders, and requests for emergency relief in Civil and Probate matters. Hearings currently scheduled for these matters will remain as scheduled unless case-specific arrangements are made with the scheduled department.

Orders establishing temporary guardianships and temporary conservatorships will be extended by operation of the emergency order. Any hearings currently scheduled will be continued up to 60 days and notice will be provided.

All Family Law matters, including DCSS, scheduled between March 20, 2020 and April 5, 2020 will be continued 60 days from currently set date. The court will provide notice of the continued hearing date. The court will continue to process requests for emergency Family Law orders on an ex parte basis.

The Self-Help Center is closed for public access. Requests for assistance may be made by email at flf@solano.courts.ca.gov.

Civil matters scheduled between March 20, 2020 and April 5, 2020 will be continued. All civil jury and court trials, including small claims and unlawful detainer hearings, set between March 20 and April 5, 2020 are continued. The court will provide notice of the continued hearing date. Any civil case which required publication of notice by newspaper will remain on calendar.

In light of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, all courthouses of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California shall be closed to the public. Only persons having official court business as authorized by a Judge of the District Court or the Bankruptcy Court, or a healthy building tenant having official business on behalf of a tenant agency, may enter courthouse property. This order applies to the following divisional locations:

1. The Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse, 501 I Street, Sacramento;
2. The Robert E. Coyle United States Courthouse, 2501 Tulare Street, Fresno;
3. The Redding Federal Courthouse, 2986 Bechelli Lane, Redding;
4. The Bakersfield Federal Courthouse, 510 19th Street, Bakersfield;
5. The Yosemite Federal Courthouse, 9004 Castle Cliff Court, Yosemite; and
6. The Modesto U.S. Bankruptcy Court, 1200 I Street, Second Floor, Modesto.

All of the court’s civil matters will be decided on the papers, or if the assigned Judge believes a hearing is necessary, the hearing will be by telephone or video conference. This applies to all matters including motion hearings, case management conferences, pretrial conferences and settlement conferences.

In civil matters and bankruptcy matters in which parties represent themselves (pro se litigants), those parties are strongly encouraged to file documents by mail. For those unable to file by mail the court will provide drop boxes for filing inside the entrances to the Sacramento, Fresno and Modesto courthouses, that otherwise previously have accepted hand-delivered pro se filings in the Clerk’s Offices for those courts.

In the court’s criminal matters all initial appearances, arraignments and other essential proceedings will continue to be held before the duty Magistrate Judges, unless the parties agree to continue them; to the full extent possible matters that are maintained on calendar shall be conducted by telephone or video conference.

In criminal cases before the District Judges, the assigned District Judge may continue matters to a date after May 1, 2020, excluding time under the Speedy Trial Act with reference to the court’s prior General Order 611 issued on March 17, 2020, with additional findings to support the exclusion in the Judge’s discretion; if any criminal matters are maintained on calendar, to the full extent possible they shall be conducted by telephone or video conference.

Any Judge may order case-by-case exceptions to any of the above numbered provisions for non-jury court matters at the discretion of that Judge or upon the request of counsel, after consultation with counsel.

The court has obtained an emergency orderPDF file type icon from chair of the Judicial Council permitting it to issue an order extending the time to do any act required or permitted under the California Rules of Court, and has by order dated March 18, 2020PDF file type icon done so.

Pursuant to Misc. Order 20-001PDF file type icon oral argument sessions in the Sixth District Court of Appeal are temporarily suspended.

The Clerk’s Office window is temporarily closed. However, court operations are functional. The court continues to receive phone calls, correspondence by email and U.S. Mail, and electronic filings. If you are unable to file your papers electronically, you may drop off paper filings, including emergency writs, in the drop box located on the 10th floor at 333 West Santa Clara Street, San Jose, California, next to the Sixth District Court of Appeal Clerk’s Office entrance.

Access to the Courthouse: Until further notice, our courthouses are closed to the public during non-court weeks. Attorneys and parties who have access to CM/ECF are strongly encouraged to use it for everything, including new petitions for review and original proceedings.

Filing Deadlines & Paper Copies: Because the national response to the pandemic has disrupted services of all kinds, the Court will extend non-jurisdictional filing dates as needed. Due dates for notices of appeal, petitions for review, and any document that confers jurisdiction on this Court, are set by statute or rule and are unaffected by this notice. Please follow the instructions in the next section to seek an extension of time to file a brief. The court will issue instructions for seeking extensions of other types of non-jurisdictional deadlines in the coming days