How Are Central Ohio Courts Operating In The Era Of COVID-19?

Corona-virus-alert-e1584538964347-231x300Over the past few months, courts in Central Ohio took a variety of steps to deal with the unprecedented challenges presented by the Coronavirus Pandemic. As the State of Ohio moves toward ‘reopening’ in this new reality, central Ohio courts are beginning to release plans on how they will operate in a way which will minimize the risk to court personnel, judges, attorneys and others with business before the court.  Some courts have decided to publish their plans for reopening even before the release of the Supreme Court’s guidelines. Not every court has released such plans yet, so we will update this post as more information becomes available.

The courts must execute a careful balancing act between public safety and the right to a fair trial. Recent events in one Ohio court illustrate how difficult this can be. The Ohio Judicial Conference published a guide for how to approach jury operations while maintaining safety for those involved. Additionally, members of the criminal justice system formed the Ohio Trial Advisory Group which submitted recommendations to the Ohio Supreme Court proposing best practices for conducting jury trials in the era of COVID-19. We expect the Ohio Supreme Court will publish guidelines for holding jury trials in the near future.

Franklin County Municipal Court
The Franklin County Municipal Court has not yet released a formal plan for operations going forward. However, members of the local legal community have been made aware of what some of the expectations will be when court resumes. The court will continue to hold virtual pretrials when appropriate and will attempt to resolve as many cases as possible without the need for in-person appearances. Attorneys and those with those with business in the courthouse are expected to wear masks.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas published an order on May 19, 2020. The order authorizes the use of technologies for all proceedings and implements a rotating docket schedule.

Delaware Municipal Court
The Delaware Municipal Court has released an order detailing their timeline for resuming court operations.
In person arraignments will resume on June 1. They will be spread out over three courtrooms in an effort to limit the number of people in one courtroom at any given time. Only those deemed essential to the case (attorney, defendant, victim, etc.) will be permitted in the courtroom for the arraignment. People appearing before the court are required to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer upon entering the court area.
The court will continue to allow pretrial hearings to be conducted telephonically. Hearings on motions will resume on June 1, subject to the same precautions discussed above. Jury trials will resume, when necessary, on June 5. Throughout all of this, the court will liberally grant continuances for coronavirus related reasons.

Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
The Delaware Court of Common Pleas has not released a formal plan since its update on court operations on March 20, 2020.

Bexley Mayor’s Court
Bexley Mayor’s Court is scheduled to resume in June. No further requirements have been released at this time.

Canal Winchester Mayor’s Court
Canal Winchester Mayor’s Court is scheduled to resume in June. No further requirements have been released at this time.

Circleville Municipal Court
The Circleville Municipal Court is requiring everyone to wear a mask when in the courthouse.

Dublin Mayor’s Court
The Dublin Mayor’s Court is scheduling their cases one at a time to limit the number of people in the building at one time. Appearance is also limited to those with business before the court, no friends, family or children will be allowed. Face coverings are required for everyone inside the Dublin Justice Center.

Fairfield County Municipal Court
The Fairfield County Municipal Court is limiting entry to parties and attorneys only. Face masks are required. The court will continue to hold as many hearings telephonically as possible and Jury Trials are still suspended until further notice.

Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas
Jury Trials are still suspended until further notice and all other hearings will be conducted virtually when possible. Anyone, including attorneys, who must appear in person is required to wear a face covering.

Gahanna Mayor’s Court
Gahanna Mayor’s Court is scheduled to resume in June. No further requirements have been released at this time.

Grandview Heights Mayor’s Court
The Grandview Heights Mayor’s Court has not released a formal plan at this time.

Grove City Mayor’s Court
Grove City Mayor’s Court is scheduled to resume in June. No further requirements have been released at this time.

Hilliard Mayor’s Court
The Hilliard Mayor’s Court resumed operation on May 13. It has been relocated to City Hall, located at 3800 Municipal Way. People with business before the court are instructed to wait in their car until told to enter. Mask are required and everyone entering the building will have their temperature taken. Only defendants and their attorneys are permitted to enter.

Knox County Court of Common Pleas
The Knox County Court of Common Pleas is recommending, but not requiring, people to wear masks while in court. People entering the court are instructed to follow hand washing and hygiene practices while in court.

Madison County Municipal Court
The Madison County Municipal Court is limiting access to the court room to defendants, prosecutors, officers, interpreters, and people with a subpoena.

Madison County Court of Common Pleas
The Madison County Court of Common Pleas is continuing to operate under the order issued on March 18. No formal reopening plans have been released at this time.

Marble Cliff Mayor’s Court
The Marble Cliff Mayor’s Court has not released a formal plan at this time.

Marion Municipal Court
The Marion Municipal Court will require all individuals entering the court to submit to a brief health screening, including a temperature check, have their hands sanitized and wear a mask or face covering.

Marysville Municipal Court
The Marysville Municipal Court has not released a formal plan at this time.

Minerva Park Mayor’s Court
The Minerva Park Mayor’s Court will resume on June 3, 2020. No further requirements have been announced at this time.

Morrow County Municipal Court
The Morrow County Municipal Court is open and operating under the restrictions imposed on March 17. No additional plans have been released at this time.

Morrow County Court of Common Pleas
The Court has not released a formal plan at this time.

Mt. Vernon Municipal Court
The Mt. Vernon Municipal Court is still operating under the order issued on March 12, 2020. No further recommendations have been announced at this time.

New Albany Mayor’s Court
The New Albany Mayor’s Court will resume after May 27. No further requirements have been announced at this time.

Obetz Mayor’s Court
The Obetz Mayor’s Court has not released a formal plan on reopening at this time.

Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas
The Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas has not released a formal order for resuming court operations at this time.

Reynoldsburg Mayor’s Court
The Reynoldsburg Mayor’s Court is limiting entry to those charged with non-payable citations only. Entrants into the court will be subjected to a safety protocol.

Westerville Mayor’s Court
The Westerville Mayor’s Court has not released a formal reopening plan at this time.

Whitehall Mayor’s Court
The Whitehall Mayor’s Court will resume in June. No specific requirements have been announced at this time.

Worthington Mayor’s Court
The Worthington Mayor’s Court will require all members of the public to use hand sanitizer and recommends they wear masks.

Union County Court of Common Pleas
The Union County Court of Common Pleas has not released a formal reopening plan at this time.

Upper Arlington Mayor’s Court
Upper Arlington Mayor’s Court will resume on May 21. Cases will be scheduled at set times to limit the number of people present. Additional safety protocols will be provided with notice sent to defendants and attorneys.

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