Chief Justice Extends State Judicial Emergency as Shelter-in-Place Orders Expire
As businesses across Georgia have begun reopening, state Supreme Court Justice Harold Melton has extended the statewide judicial emergency, continuing the suspension of civil and criminal trials and barring courts from impaneling new trial or grand juries.
May 04, 2020 at 12:38 PM
3 minute read
The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia has extended a statewide judicial emergency for the second time, even as Gov. Brian Kemp lifted the state's shelter in place restrictions and allowed businesses to reopen.
Chief Justice Harold Melton's announcement, issued Monday morning, extends the judicial emergency through June 12. It was scheduled to expire May 13. June 12 is the date the governor's shelter-in-place recommendation for medically fragile people, including the elderly, expires.
Melton's new order will continue the suspension of all criminal and civil jury trials through June 12 and also bars courts from summoning and impaneling new trial and grand juries. He said the suspensions are necessary because of the need for recommended social distancing and to protect the health of large groups of people who are typically assembled in response to jury summonses.
Melton said he was extending the state judicial emergency because, "The courts are different from most private establishments and public places in that we compel people to attend court proceedings, and that requires us to be extra cautious."
Melton intends to sign an order codifying his announcement later this week.
Melton made his announcement as Georgia's COVID-19 cases continued to rise. The state on Monday reported 29,045 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 5,429 hospitalizations and 1,192 deaths.
The governor has allowed small businesses and the state's beaches to reopen if they met specific sanitation and social distancing guidelines. Kemp's directives specifically superseded municipal or county restrictions, but they do not extend to the judiciary.
A Dougherty County probate judge died after a juror who had contracted the coronavirus served on a weeklong trial at the county courthouse in March, and at least four other judges across the state have been sickened with the virus.
Melton stressed in his announcement that Georgia courts remain open to handle critical and essential court services. His new order will urge courts across the state to develop plans for restoring noncritical court operations that can be conducted remotely by a combination of videoconferencing or adhering to social distancing and other guidelines currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Melton also urged the courts to increase the use of technology to conduct remote judicial proceedings as a preferred alternative to having in-person proceedings. The state Supreme Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals last month instituted remote oral arguments via Zoom.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllCobb County Says Over 3K Absentee Ballots Mailed Late, Just Days Before Election
2 minute readGa. High Court Upholds Dismissal of Lawsuit Over Protests at State Capitol
3 minute readGa. Prosecutor Who Brought Election Case Against Trump Faces Rare Republican Challenger
5 minute readAppeals Court in Crucial Georgia Won't Expedite Case on Election Certification
2 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 2Preparing Your Law Firm for 2025: Smart Ways to Embrace AI & Other Technologies
- 3Abbott, Mead Johnson Win Defense Verdict Over Preemie Infant Formula
- 4Greenberg Traurig Initiates String of Suits Following JPMorgan Chase's 'Infinite Money Glitch'
- 5It's Time Law Firms Were Upfront About Who Their Salaried Partners Are
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250