FILEL
R!~HARD W. HI> l':EL
CLERK OF r J.iRT
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
2029 JUL 23 PH 2: 23
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
LLS. DISTi\lC J c~;Uh T
In Re: SOUTHERN DIST. OHiO
tAST. DIV. COLUMBUS
FURTHER ORDER REGARDING
COURT OPERATIONS UNDER THE GENERAL ORDER 20-23
ONGOING EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES
CREATED BY COVID-19
Adjustment to the Reconstitution Plan with
Respect to Suspension of Jury Trials, In-Court
Proceedings, Naturalizations, and Grand Jury
In General Order 20-17, the Court adopted a Reconstitution Plan for reopening the
Courthouses in this District as of June 1, 2020. The Reconstitution Plan was attached to and
incorporated in General Order 20-17.
Based on recent increases in the number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in the Southern
District of Ohio as a whole and in each of the counties in which one of the District's courthouses
is located, the Court finds it necessary to adjust the Reconstitution Plan as set forth herein:
1. All civil and criminal jwy trials scheduled between the date of this Order and
August 31, 2020, are continued until a future date to be set by the assigned judge.
In connection with any criminaljwy trial continued pursuant to this General Order,
the Order re-setting the date for the continued trial shall include requisite findings
under the Speedy Trial Act.
2. All naturalizations scheduled between the date of this General Order and August
31, 2020, except those set for the week of July 27, 2020, are CANCELLED.
3. No grand jury proceedings shall be conducted between the date of this General
Order and August 31, 2020, except 30-day cases and ongoing historical cases
requiring the testimony of civilian witnesses.
4. Other in-court proceedings scheduled between the date of this General Order and
August 31, 2020, shall occur in person only upon a determination by the assigned
judge that the interests of justice require that the proceedings be conducted in that
manner. Such proceedings will take place only in a courtroom that has been
outfitted with plexiglass shielding.
5. This General Order does not prevent any proceedings from occurring through use
of video- or audio-conferencing capabilities during that time.
Tiris General Order does not change any of the preventive measures specified in the
Reconstitution Plan including, without limitation,
• Screening all visitors to the courthouses for indications of COVID-19 infection;
• Requiring all Court personnel and visitors to wear face masks in specified locations
in the courthouses;
• Requiring all persons in the courthouses to maintain "social distancing," (i.e. a
physical distance of at least six feet from other persons); and
• Responding to any reported COVID-19 infection in one of the courthouses
according the detailed protocol provided in the Reconstitution Plan.
The Court has adopted this General Order in accordance with current determinations by
the Ohio Department of Health and the Governor of the State Ohio, the Center for Disease Control
(CDC) guidelines, and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) guidelines (the
Federal Judiciary COVID-19 Recovery Guidelines and the COVID-19 Judicial Task Force Jury
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Subgroup Report), about appropriate measures to be taken to prevent the further spread ofCOVID-
19 in Ohio. In determining whether the proceedings suspended by this General Order can resume
after August 31, 2020, the Court will consider information from the same sources, as well as other
objective scientific criteria to be developed by the Court.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED: July 23, 2020
CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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