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March 19, 2020
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2
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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IN RE: CLERK’S OFFICE CLOSURE AND
6 FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON COURT
TEMPORARY GENERAL ORDER
7 OPERATIONS UNDER THE EXIGENT 2020-04
CIRCUMSTANCES CREATED BY COVID-
8 19 AND RELATED CORONAVIRUS
9
10 This General Order is being issued in response to the recent outbreak of the
11 coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) in the District of Nevada, and follows a March
12 16, 2020, Temporary General Order (“GO 2020-03”) suspending jury trials and non-case
13 related events for some time. (See Temporary General Order 2020-03.)1 In the brief
14 time since the Court issued GO 2020-03, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to
15 spread in the country in general—and in this district in particular—resulting in additional
16 emergency declarations2 and widespread calls for the public to take more aggressive
17
1Available at https://www.nvd.uscourts.gov/wp-
18 content/uploads/2020/03/Temporary-General-Order-2020-03-re-Covid19.pdf. As of the
date of entry of this order, the District of Nevada has been home to more than 80 reported
19 cases of the disease, up from 26 at the time the Court issued GO 2020-03. Moreover, the
numbers of presumptive positive patients continue to increase.
20
2For example, Clark County and Washoe County have declared states of
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emergency in response to COVID-19. See Ashley Casper, Las Vegas, Clark County,
22 surrounding cities declare state of emergency amid coronavirus outbreak, FOX5 Las
Vegas, https://www.fox5vegas.com/coronavirus/las-vegas-clark-county-surrounding-
cities-declare-state-of-emergency/article 7e1d4c6a-672d-11ea-be3d-
23 6f2ce56da2c4.html (as to Clark County); ThisisReno, County declares state of
emergency due to COVID-19, Thisisreno.com, https://thisisreno.com/2020/03/county-
24 declares-state-of-emergency-due-to-covid-19/ (as to Washoe County). Moreover, the
Mayor of the City of Reno mandated certain businesses close by 5 p.m. on Friday, March
25 20. See Scott Sonner, Associated Press, Reno Closing Bars, Restaurants but Not
Casinos on Friday, available at https://www.usnews.com/news/best-
26
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1 social-distancing measures.3 On March 17, 2020, the Governor of the State of Nevada
2 ordered the closure of many business establishments and strongly encouraged all
3 citizens to stay home.4 In light of these rapidly escalating events, and to do its part to
4 help protect the safety and health of all those entering and working in the District’s
5 courthouses from the spread of COVID-19, the Court HEREBY FURTHER ORDERS
6 the temporary closure of the Clerk’s Office for the United States District Court for the
7 District of Nevada (“Clerk’s Office”) and the implementation of other changes to currently
8 scheduled hearings as follows:
9 A. Clerk’s Office
10 1) The Clerk’s Office will be closed to the public beginning March 20, 2020. This
11 closure does not affect any filings. Attorneys and pro se parties may continue
12 to file documents with the Court. All deadlines will remain in full effect unless
13 otherwise ordered by the presiding judge.
14 2) Filings will be processed via the electronic filing system (CM/ECF) and via
15 mail or delivery. Paper documents delivered to the courthouses must be
16 deposited in drop boxes located in the lobbies of the Lloyd D. George Federal
17 Courthouse in Las Vegas located at 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas
18 NV 89101 and the Bruce R. Thompson Federal Courthouse located at 400 S.
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states/nevada/articles/2020-03-17/cosmopolitan-resort-in-las-vegas-to-close-because-
20 of-virus.
21 3As a prominent example, the President of the United States has issued guidelines
22 limiting all gatherings to no more than ten people. See Doug Mills, Trump released
national guidelines to control the virus, The New York Times,
23 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/world/live-coronavirus-news-updates.html (March
17, 2020).
24
4See Press Release from the Governor’s Office, Governor Sisolak Announces
25 COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Initiatives,
http://gov.nv.gov/News/Press/2020/Governor Sisolak Announces COVID-
26 19 Risk Mitigation Initiatives/ (March 17, 2020).
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1 Virginia Street, Reno NV 89501. Drop-box access will be available between
2 the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on business days. Filings sent by mail
3 will be deemed filed on the date indicated on the postage date stamp. Manual
4 filings may be served on opposing parties without securing a file stamped
5 copy.
6 3) Payments by check or money order will be accepted by mail or in the
7 courthouse drop boxes during the hours noted above. Cash payments will not
8 be accepted during this period of exigent circumstances.
9 4) Staff in the Clerk’s Office will be available by telephone, mail will be received,
10 and new filings will be processed. Contact information for the Clerk’s Office in
11 Las Vegas is: (702) 464-5453; contact information for the Clerk’s Office in
12 Reno is: (775) 686-5800.
13 B. Court Hearings
14 The Court is striving to eliminate in-person court appearances. In the event that
15 a hearing must go forward, the Court will attempt to conduct the hearing by video
16 conference or telephone (with the defendant’s consent in criminal cases), and the
17 courtroom will be closed. Members of the public may call in to listen to a scheduled
18 hearing on the phone line provided for each hearing. Any changes to scheduled
19 hearings will be handled by the presiding judge in each case. This Order does not impact
20 the Court’s consideration of motions that can be resolved without an in-court
21 appearance.
22 The Court will vacate or amend this Order no later than April 30, 2020.
23 Dated this 19th day of March 2020.
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25 MIRANDA M. DU, CHIEF JUDGE
26 U.S.D.C. FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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