U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut courthouse in New Haven. Photo: Google

Most Connecticut courts are staying open despite concerns about the spread of COVID-19 globally. But they have delayed jury selections and trials, and are urging people to conduct court-related business via phone.

The Connecticut Superior Court, Connecticut Appellate Court and the state's three federal courts have all announced coronavirus-related contingency plans.

But as of Tuesday afternoon, the Connecticut Supreme Court was still planning to hear oral arguments for its seventh session, which runs from March 24 through April 2.

The state's law libraries also announced Monday they'd be closed until further notice.

Connecticut Superior Courts

The Connecticut superior courts have delayed all future jury selections and trials through at least April 13. Juries sitting before the March 13 directive would continue those trials.

While all courts are open, the judicial branch announced that from March 16 through March 27 it would schedule and hear only matters identified as "priority 1 business functions." That includes criminal arraignments of defendants held in lieu of bond, all arraignments involving domestic violence cases, juvenile detention hearings, civil protection orders, termination of parental rights, and family orders of relief from abuse, among others.

Hartford Superior Court Administrative Judge David Sheridan issued his own directive on March 11.

That directive states that beginning March 13 and until further notice, all pretrial conferences, status conferences and trial management conferences would be conducted over the phone. He also said requests for continuance for up to three months—that are based on legitimate concerns over exposure to the virus—would be "automatically granted."

Appellate court

The Connecticut Appellate Court in Hartford announced Tuesday morning that oral arguments would not go forward in any of the cases scheduled to be heard from Tuesday through Thursday, which is the end of the sixth term. As of Tuesday, cases have not been scheduled for the court's seventh term, which starts April 6.

Connecticut federal courts

Like the state courts, the state's three federal courts in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven  will also stop all new jury selections and jury trials until at least April 13. Trials already underway are set to continue.

In addition, unlike in the Superior Court system, Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut Stefan Underhill issued a March 11 order barring entry of individuals who visited China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, New York's New Rochelle community, and any other location that has been under coronavirus-related quarantine in the past 14 days.

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Coronavirus Is Slowing Courts. But What About the Right to a Speedy Trial?