By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 5– The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York will remain partially closed down until February 16, Inner City Press reported on January 5. The information was disclosed in a hearing before SDNY Judge Edgardo Ramos
Inner City Press, which covers SDNY closely, will continue to come in and report.
Judge Ramos said that SDNY Chief Judge Colleen McMahon had just extended the partial close down from January 15 to February 16. Here for now was her November 30 order: "McMahon, C.J.: Effective Tuesday, December 1, 2020, in-person operations in the Southern District of New York will be suspended until January 15, 2021.
This temporary curtailment of operations is required to preserve public health and safety in light of the recent spike in coronavirus cases, both nationally and within the Southern District of New York. This order outlines the procedures that will be in place during the period December 1, 2020 through January 15, 2021.
All courthouses will be open. Except as provided below, there will be no trials or other in-person proceedings conducted at any of the courthouses in the District. All jury trials scheduled for the period beginning December 1, 2020 and ending January 15, 2021 are adjourned. Parties will be notified of a new date. All civil proceedings, including bench trials and hearings with witnesses, will be conducted remotely. Consult with the presiding judge about adjournments. All criminal matters, including presentments, arraignments, criminal conferences, pleas and sentencings, will be conducted remotely, unless (1) the defendants declines to waive the right to be physically present, and (2) the court concludes that the matter cannot be postponed, in conformity with the CARES Act. No jurors will be summoned to the courthouses of the District during the period beginning December 1, 2020 and ending January 15, 2021. No new grand juries will be selected until January 19, 2021. Sitting grand juries will continue operating during this period. If the case is not already assigned to a district judge, or if you do not hear from the judge within two hours after trying to make contract, call the Clerk of Court at 212-805-0140 to alert someone that immediate judicial assistance is required. Emergency applications can also be directed to the Part I judge; the Part I Duty Roster is posted on the court’s website, together with the necessary contact information. Members of the staff of the District Executive’s Office will be on site from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM every weekday. However, the office can be reached only by phone."
The courthouse is open, and arraignments, presentments, pre-trial and other conferences will continue - and Inner City Press will continue to cover this. Watch this site.
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