(L to R) Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Judge Vince Chhabria and Chief Judge Phyllis Hamilton, Northern District of California. (Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM)

At least three judges in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California have revised their court procedures in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief Judge Phyllis Hamilton and Judges Vince Chhabria and Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers plan to limit in-person proceedings with telephonic conferences and decide motions solely on the papers in the coming weeks.

A court representative said in an email that more judges might enact their own courtroom procedures in the future. "At this time, any COVID-19 related changes in court procedures are on a by-chambers basis," the representative said. A notice on the court's website said chambers-specific information will be announced on the "Scheduling Notes" section of each judge's home page.

Hamilton did not immediately respond to an email and phone call requesting comment Thursday afternoon.

A clerk's notice that went out to civil litigants with cases before Hamilton indicated that trials could be postponed if necessary. "If the court determines that continuance of a trial is warranted by ongoing public health concerns, a notice of continuance will be issued," the notice said. Hamilton's revised processes will be in place until May 1, but could be extended according to the notice.

According to a similar notice that went out in Chhabria's cases, coronavirus procedures are in effect in his courtroom until April 13. The judge, who is overseeing Roundup-related litigation against Monsanto and litigation stemming from Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal, issued a notice that all civil hearings and case management conferences will either be conducted by phone or continued. The judge's criminal hearings will be handled on a case-by-case basis, according to the notice.

In an order effective until May 1, Gonzalez Rogers decided that all in-person appearances will be suspended in response to the virus. She also continued all civil trials. "The court will contact parties regarding rescheduling once it has determined the public health concerns referenced above have been abated," she wrote.

In the Eastern District of California, Chief District Judge Kimberly Mueller issued an order stating that anyone who has traveled to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy or Iran within the last 14 days "shall not enter any courthouse" in the district as well as those who live with them or have "had close contact" with them. "These restrictions will remain in place temporarily until it is determined to be safe to remove them," she wrote.