DC Superior Court More than Doubles the Number of Remote Courtrooms in Operation Remotely, Many More Cases Being Heard
DC Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Morin announced that the DC Superior Court has expanded the number of courtrooms that are operating remotely from eight to nineteen. "The DC Courts have strived to carefully balance the need for justice, and for meaningful access to justice, with the public health and safety needs of the community we serve, as well as all those who work on the court campus," Chief Judge Morin explained. "At this point, we are ready to add additional courtrooms and case types to the list of those that will be heard while the pandemic distancing requirements are still in place."
As of Monday, May 18, 2020, the Superior Court is holding remote hearings in the following types of matters:
CIVIL - temporary restraining orders and - in Civil 1 and Civil 2 cases - pretrial, motion and status hearings, and scheduling conferences;
CRIMINAL- adult arraignments and detained status hearings (set out of C-10 after March 17th). Also, at the request of defense counsel: bond reviews, mental health observations & competency hearings, detained preliminary hearings and non-evidentiary hearings in other criminal cases;
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - requests for temporary and civil protection orders, and extreme risk protection orders, as well as domestic violence misdemeanor cases in which the defendant is detained and non-evidentiary matters in domestic violence misdemeanor cases in which the defendant is not detained;
FAMILY COURT - adoption, divorce, custody, neglect, mental health, mental habilitation and juvenile. The Marriage Bureau is operating remotely as well; and
PROBATE - Interventions (cases seeking appointment of a 21-day emergency healthcare guardian, 90-day healthcare guardian, and permanent guardian and/or conservator.)
For more detailed information, including a copy of the Chief Judge's order, please go to www.dccourts.gov/coronavirus, where there are email addresses, phone numbers and Live Chat links through which the public can submit questions about operations.
The Court anticipates adding more case types in the coming month.