Beginning in September, the Hartford judicial district is bringing back its program of referring civil cases with a perceived value up to $50,000 to mandatory, non-binding arbitration. The program had been suspended due to the COVID pandemic.

In some ways, re-institution of the arbitration program is a natural step in the return to normal functioning after the pandemic. As more activity picks up at the courthouse and with reduced health concerns, the reasons for suspension of the program have receded. On the other hand, judicial branch statistics seem to show that the branch has been successful in returning the number of pending cases to pre-pandemic levels without the arbitration program.