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Impact of COVID-19 on the Judicial System
Print PDFLike the rest of the world, our court system here in the United States is grappling with the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19). For example, today the federal Judiciary released a statement on preparedness for COVID-19. And just this afternoon, the District of Massachusetts announced that all jury trials scheduled to begin before April 27, 2020 have been continued until further order of the court. In addition, the court has asked that those who have traveled to certain countries within the last fourteen days or been in contact with such persons not visit any courthouse or probation office within the District of Massachusetts. While we currently are not aware of any other limitations on access of our courthouses (at either the federal or state level) here in the Commonwealth, we know that some courts throughout the country have decided to indefinitely postpone all civil and criminal matters scheduled for an in-person appearance. Other courts—like the District of Delaware—are attempting to maintain their calendars by moving to telephonic conferences and hearings where practicable. We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide further updates as information unfolds.
This advisory was prepared by Nutter’s Litigation Department. If you have questions about how COVID-19 may affect your case, please reach out to your Nutter attorney at 617.439.2000.
This update is for information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. Under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, this material may be considered as advertising.