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SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns preparing for their day in court may need to wait awhile longer.
A Friday order from Utah’s Chief Justice Matthew Durrant directs judges across the state to hammer out plans with those due in court to cancel nonessential court hearings amid coronavirus concerns.
“The health and safety of those who come into our courthouses and courtrooms seeking justice is a deep concern for me, our court staff and our judges,” Durrant said in a Friday statement. “We are also deeply concerned about the safety of our employees.”
Utah’s busy 3rd District Court, with courthouses in Salt Lake, Tooele and Summit counties, has gone a step further. It called off jury trials and most hearings, including in eviction cases, for the next three weeks. Yet protective order proceedings still will continue to take place there and across the state.
Outside of the 3rd District, the new virus does not yet grant immunity from jury duty. The courts instead are encouraging prospective jurors to limit contact and wash their hands, among other precautions.
And while the courthouses won’t lock their doors, they plan to lean heavily on technology, with many hearings held over a video feed when possible.
Among the proceedings that will continue to take place under Durrant’s direction are hearings for domestic violence, bond and sentencing; stalking and dating violence injunctions; and those involving the “imminent safety” of a child.”
Utah’s court system has long prepared for such an emergency and intensified its planning in recent days, Durrant added. While there’s no timeline on his order, further directives could follow, said courts spokesman Geoffrey Fattah.
Durrant noted presiding judges in each of Utah’s eight judicial districts can impose an array of measures, including postponing trials and hearings, calling off meetings and requiring certain hygiene measures.
Separately, municipal courts across the state, which largely handle low-level misdemeanors and financial disputes up to $11,000, are making their own calls.
Salt Lake City’s Justice Court announced Friday that it will reschedule all jury trials and in-person hearings for inmates through April 10. It directed those who are due in court but are feeling sick to get in touch with their attorneys and ask for a later court date.
Those seeking legal help at a series of free clinics also will need to wait. The University of Utah has paused its Pro Bono Initiative for March and will decide at a later date whether to do so in April.
Joanna Landau, director of the Indigent Defense Commission, took to Twitter to advise defendants not to give up any rights in order to speed their cases along, saying defense attorneys and prosecutors in Salt Lake County will work with them.
“Don’t waive your rights in March,” she said.
More information is available at utcourts.gov.
