Some New York Civil Courts to Reopen After Shutdown from Coronavirus

After two months, some civil courts in the state of New York are beginning to reopen after a shutdown due to Coronavirus. This has allowed for some cases to move forward in civil court. Most of the courts allowed to open have been in the upstate of New York. Cities like New York, Brooklyn, and surrounding others have yet to open their courts.

What Does It Mean If Courts Reopen?

 Courthouses are usually bustling hubs for lawyers, citizens, judges, and staffers where there’s trials, motion hearings, and other business being conducted. Yet, don’t expect courts to be running at full capacity.

For starters, since the courts are reopening this means that non-essential matters can now be filed. All E-file and paper filing with the courts had effectively been shut down after the New York Chief Administrative Judge ordered. So, any matters that have been on halt since the shutdown can now officially move forward.

Judges and staff will be allowed back into chambers and into the administrative areas. However, these seem to be the only people roaming the courthouse halls.

The staff will be able to address the number of tasks that we left unattended during their absences, be in attendance to answer questions from the public, and readjust office space to follow new health guidelines.

One normalcy that won’t return to courts across New York is heavy foot traffic. For instance, courts are still encouraged to use virtual tools to hold conferences, hear motions, or other appearances that would usually take place in person. Only essential matters will be heard in person, if necessary.

What to do If Your Court Still Isn’t Open 

If the court in your region still hasn’t opened yet, but you still have legal issues to deal with, then do not wait till your court reopens. Time is gold when it comes to litigation. The less time a lawyer has to look at your case then it might end up being less beneficial.

So, once again, don’t wait for your court to reopen. Any legal matter should be dealt with right away. Find a competent lawyer to handle your matters during these difficult times.

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