Chief Justice Enters Additional Emergency Directives Governing Court Operations

This post was updated on May 22, 2020 to include discussion of a May 21, 2020 order extending deadlines in criminal cases and a May 14, 2020 order from the North Carolina Supreme Court.  Chief Justice Cheri Beasley entered an order today imposing eight new emergency directives (Directives 9 -16) to address court operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chief Justice entered a separate order extending time for documents to be filed and acts due to be done in criminal cases in the trial courts. New Directives No jury trials before August. Emergency Directive 10 prohibits jury trials from convening in district or superior court for the next thirty days. The directive also states that the Chief Justice (whose emergency orders under G.S. 7A-39(b) expire 30 days from issuance) intends to extend this directive through at least the end of July. The order further directs the Chief Justice’s COVID-19 Task Force to develop best practices and minimum requirements for the convening of jury trials and to submit those recommendations to the Chief Justice and to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) by June 30, 2020. (Emergency Directive 16). COVID-19 Coordinators. Each senior resident superior court judge must designate a COVID-19 Coordinator for his or her district. (Emergency Directive 11). The name of the COVID-19 Coordinator for each facility must be submitted to the AOC by 5:00 PM on May 26, 2020. In preparation for the resumption of jury trials on or after August 1, 2020, the COVID-19 Coordinator must determine [...]