June 1, 2020 will be the first day that Orleans Parish Criminal Court will reopen to the public since mid March 2020. Currently court can still occur on a limited basis but is not open to the public. The June 1 change marks the second step in Orleans Criminal Court’s phased reopening. Here is what that means for you.
No Jury Trials
All criminal jury trials are continued until further notice of the Court. The Louisiana Supreme Court issued an Order suspending all jury trials before June 30, 2020. That also means there so not jury duty at this time.
What if I had court when it was closed due to CONVID19 (March 13-May 31, 2020)?
Contact your lawyer about what happens next in your case. If you do not have one, contact me now for a free consultation.
You do not have an attachment if you missed court due to the COVID19 closure. Unless your lawyer tells you otherwise, you will need to go to court to get a subpoena for a new date. There will be a station outside of the courthouse to from 9am-1pm to issue subpoenas via the following order:
- If the last number of your social security number ends in 0, 1, or 2 appear on Monday;
- If the last number of your social security number ends in 3, 4, or 5 appear on Tuesday;
- If the last number of your social security number ends in 6, 7, 8, or 9 appear on Wednesday;
- All people can appear on Thursday.
When court reopens, what day is my section held?
To enforce social distancing physical (in person) court will be limited to three sections of court per day on Monday through Thursday. Magistrate court will be on Friday and weekends. The Court is encouraging attorneys to conduct virtual appearances. It is important you contact your attorney to see if you need to go to court.
- Monday will be sections A, E, and K
- Tuesday will be sections B, H, and I
- Wednesday will be sections C, D, and G
- Thursday will be sections F, J, and L
Is there drug testing when court reopens?
Yes, go to the entrance on South White street.
Court reopening with this new plan can be confusing. You may not need to personally go to court on certain days if your attorney has made arrangements with the court to conduct the hearing virtually. Contact me now for a free consultation about representation during this time to help navigate this process and defend you and your rights.
