United States District Court for the District of Connecticut – effective March 24, 2020

On March 24, 2020, the District of Connecticut issued three orders to take effect immediately which modify its prior orders:

Hearings Continued

All in-court (in-person) civil and criminal proceedings scheduled to commence on or before May 15, 2020, before any district or magistrate judge in any courthouse in the District of Connecticut are CONTINUED.

The Order excepts:

(1) specified criminal matters and civil matters requiring a prompt hearing under Rule 65 and (2) each district or magistrate judge may, in his or her discretion, choose to handle other matters in court (as opposed to continuing the matter or handling it via video or teleconference) to the extent each judge deems it necessary to do so in the interests of justice

All jury selections and jury trials scheduled to begin on or before May 15, 2020 are continued until further notice.

Restrictions on Access to the Clerk’s Office

Until further order of the Court, the District Court Clerk’s Office will not be open to the public. However, litigants will still be able to make manual filings through a box designated for that purpose in the entrance lobby of each courthouse. Required Court payments may be made by check or money order and mailed to the applicable Clerk’s Office or deposited in the manual filings box or made online using Pay.gov.

The courthouses remain open with limited staffing; the CM/ECF system remains fully operational.

For the full text of the Orders:

http://ctd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/COVID-19-Hearing-Continuation-Order.pdf

http://ctd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/COVID-19-Jury-Suspension-Order.pdf

http://ctd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/COVID-19-Restrictions-on-Access-to-Clerk___s-Office.pdf

Connecticut Superior (Trial Court) – Clarification – Practice Book Deadlines Not Extended

The Executive Orders issued by Governor Lamont and the Court Orders issued effective March 19, 2020 do not extend the Connecticut Practice Book deadlines concerning pleadings and discovery. Extension of these deadlines is under consideration by the Rules Committee. Stay tuned for updates.