Written by Andrew Wolfson of the Courier-Journal
Virtually all courtrooms in Kentucky will be shut down from Monday until April 10 to protect employees and the public from the coronavirus.
Chief Justice John D. Minton signed an order Thursday canceling all in-person appearances in criminal and civil cases, other than for domestic violence hearings, emergency matters and evidentiary hearings in criminal cases.
All civil trials, hearings and motions will be postponed for a later date, and reasonable attempts will be made to reschedule all criminal trials, the order says.
Under the order, small claims, eviction, juvenile, probate, traffic and guardianship cases will be continued. In hearings that must be held, courtroom attendance will be limited to attorneys, parties and necessary witnesses.
The 18-point order also says that jurors who are ill, caring for someone who is ill, or in a high-risk category shall have their jury service postponed to a later date. Orientation for new jurors is suspended.
(Cross-posted via the Kentucky Press News Service. Read the rest of the article at the Courier-Journal.)
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