UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
In re: MODIFICATION OF COURT OPERATIONS Administrative Order
IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 20-MS-024
No. _______________
The Court has been constantly monitoring developments on the Covid-19 pandemic, and
has been working to preserve access to the Court while simultaneously protecting the health of
Court staff and the constituencies we serve. Considering ongoing developments, including the
Governor of Michigan’s Executive Order 2020-21, entered today, the Western District of
Michigan will be modifying its regular operations as described in this Administrative Order.
This Administrative Order is effective as of the opening of regular business tomorrow, March 24,
2020, and remains in effect through the close of regular business on Monday, April 13, 2020.
1. Judicial Officers will continue to handle as many matters as possible by teleconference,
video-conference or in some other way that does not require physical appearance in a
court facility.
2. To the extent a Judicial Officer believes an in-person hearing is necessary and cannot be
postponed or otherwise accommodated, the hearing will occur in the Gerald R. Ford
Federal Building in Grand Rapids, Michigan (if in the Southern Division), or in the
Court’s Marquette facility (if in the Northern Division). The hearing will be conducted in
a courtroom that has full audio and video capability so members of the public can observe
proceedings, if they wish, by contacting the Court to arrange the connection, and so that
there is a permanent record of proceedings.
3. The Court and the relevant Facility Security Committees have determined that it is
necessary and appropriate to limit public access to the Ford Building and the Marquette
facility, which are the only Court facilities that will be available for in-person hearings.
Accordingly, the following access restrictions will apply during the term of this
Administrative Order:
a. The Ford Building and the Marquette facility will be open on an appointment only
basis during the term of this Administrative Order. A notice or order entered by
the Court for a hearing is an appointment for those persons required at the
hearing.
b. Any other appointment must be made and approved through the Designated
Official for the relevant facility: namely, Clerk of Court, Tom Dorwin, for the
Ford Building in Grand Rapids (616-456-2381); and Operations Supervisor, Nick
Johnson, for the Marquette facility (906-226-2021). Appropriate reasons for an
appointment include the need to file time critical papers that cannot be filed
electronically.
c. Appointments will be made only for times between 10:00am and 2:00pm.
d. Interested members of the public who wish to observe a hearing will need to
arrange with the Court for appropriate audio or video connection.
4. All other Court facilities in the District other than the Ford Building and the Marquette
facility, will be closed to public access during the term of this Administrative Order. This
includes the Court facilities in Kalamazoo and Lansing.
5. The Court considers all its personnel essential to meeting the core mission of the
Judiciary. Much of their work can appropriately be performed without the need for
physical presence in a Court facility, but to the extent they must come and go from Court
facilities, they should be prepared to present a copy of this Administrative Order and their
Federal Court ID to any police officer inquiring as to their business. The Court anticipates
this will be sufficient to demonstrate they are operating consistent with the terms of the
Governor’s Order.
6. The Court remains open and accessible to litigants, as usual, through the normal CM-ECF
process.
