Chief Justice Newby Issues New Court Directives
Published: 15 January 2021
In this new order, Chief Justice Newby has allowed several of the emergency directives in the December 14, 2020, order to expire because they concern matters best decided at the local level. The dangers posed by COVID-19 remain serious, and Chief Justice Newby’s order encourages local judicial officials to adopt appropriate safety precautions in addition to those mandated by the order.
“Today’s order allows local courthouse leadership, who assess the threat of COVID-19 every day, to tailor preventative measures to meet their specific local challenges,” said Chief Justice Newby. “But they are not alone in this fight. I have requested that the Governor prioritize our court personnel in the COVID-19 vaccination schedule so we can fulfill our constitutional ‘open courts’ mandate to provide equal justice to all in a timely manner.”