rdFRK'
S OFFICE U.S.DISI G J
''
-'
;4'l
ATROANOKE,VA .
FILED
IN T H E U N ITE D STATE S D ISTRICT CO U RT
FO R TH E W ESTE RN D ISTRICT O F W RGIN G MAR'2#à 2222
X 0.D ' .
N
'
.
IN T H E M TTER O F: BY: .
CO U RT O PE M TIO N S U N D E R TH E
EM GE N T CIRCU M STAN CES CRE ATE D Am ended Standing
BY CO W D -19 OrderN o.2020-5
Given thecontinuing spread ofnovelcotonavit'usCOV 1D -19 and G ovetnorN ortham 's
M arch 23,2020 decision to closeschoolsfortheacademicyearand resttictthe opezation ofother
businesses,theUGted StatesDistdctCourtfortheW estern DistHctofVir#niaextends
the restriction on in-petson courtproceeé ngs established in Standing O rder 2020-5 to
any in-person crim inalyciviland banlcmlptcy proceedings on orbefore M ay 1y2020.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CD Q and other public health
authorities have advised the taldng ofprecaudons to reduce the possibility ofexposure to the
vit'
usand slow the spzead of disease.The CD C isrecom m encling thatpeople attem ptto keep
physical distance between them selves and other people.The CD C is also recom m encling
em ployersattem ptto rninim ize exposutebetween em ployeesand the public and to lim itevents
and m eedngstlaattequite closecontact.
Pltticipantsin courtproceeclingsoften ate in close proxim itywith each othet.As such,
and following the guidance obtained from the Adm inisttative O fhce ofUnited States Cotuts,
teviewing ordersenteted bycouttsfrom around thecotm try,and constzltingvitginiaD epar% ent
.
ofH ealth officialslocatedin theW estezn D istdctofVitgitnia,thecotutim plem entsthefollowing
tem porary steps to pzotçct public health,reduce the size of public gatherings and elim inate
unnecessaty travel.
Effective im m ediately,itisO RD E RR D asfollows:
1. TheUnited StatesD istdctCourtand theU nited StatesBankruptcy CourtfortheW estern
DisttictofVirginiawilltemainopen fotbusiness,subjeèttothefollowinglimitations.
A11in-person crim inal,civiland banlm zptcy proceeclings on pr before M ay 1,2020,are
CONTINUED and willberescheduled atalatetdate,unlessapresiflingjudgein an
individualcase issues an order after the date of this O rder ditecting that a pntticlzlar
ptoceecling willbeheld on orbeforeM ay 1,2020.
3. A11civiljutyttialsonorbefoteM ay1,2020,areCONTIN UED andwillberescheduled.
Issuesconcerningpendingptettialdeadlinesaretobeaddressedwiththepresie gjudge.
4. M ctiminaljtzty trialson orbefore May 1,2020,are CONTINUED and willbe
rescheduled. lssues concezning pending prdttialdeacllines ate to be addressed with the
ptesirlingjudge.AsregardscontinuancesofcriminaltrialsonorbeforeMay1,2020,the
coutt,on its own m otion,fm ds thatthe tim e ofthe continuancesrequired by thisorder
isexcludedtmdettheSpeedyTrialAct,18U.S.C.j3161$)(7)(A),asthecourtSndsthat
theendsofjusticeservedbythecontitmancesoutweightheinterestsofthepartiesand
thepublicin aspeedy ttial.In thisregard,the courtisconcetned aboutthereduced ability
during thispandemicto obtain an adequatespecttnlm ofjutorsand theeffectofexisting
public health recom m endationson the availability ofcotm sel,witnesses,and couttstaff
to beptesentin the courtroom .
5. M misdem eanor and petty offense dockets on or before M ay 1, 2020, are
CO N TIN U ED and willberescheduled.
6. M VeteransTreatm entCourt,Reentry Couttand D rug Treatm entCout.tsessionson or
beforeM ay 1,2020,areCAN CELLED .
Grandjuryproceedingsschedtzled on otbeforeApril17,2020 areCONTINUED.
8. D espite the continuanceofin-person couztproceedings,J
'udgesm ay continue to conduct
proceedingsby telephone orvideo conferencing wherepracdcableand authorized by law.
In pnrtictzlar,magistrate judges may conductinitial ctiminalproceeclings by video
teleconferencingasauthodzedundetFederalRulesofCtiminalProcedure5(i)and10(c).
W herethe circllm stancesofthoserulescannotbem et,izzitialcHm inglpzoceedingsareto
beconducted in person to satisfy constitutionaland stataztoryrequirem ents.
10.Individualjudgespresicling overcriminalproceedingsmaytakesuch acdonsasmaybe
lawfulandappropriateto ensurethefairnessoftheproceedingsandpreselvetherkhts
ofthepatties.
1.1.W hilesom ecouttem ployeesm aybeassigned tow orkrem otely,thedistdct'scotuthouses
willzem nin open,electronicfilingswillbeprocessed,and intakedeskswillrem ain available
for non-electronic filings.Staffin the clekk's ofhces willbe available by telephone and
em ail,and m ailwillbereceived.Thepublic and practicing barareencouraged to continue
using courtserdceswlnile following allapplicable publichealth guidance.
12.ConsistentwiththetequitementsoftheBailRefot'm Act,18U.S.C.31459$,çoncerning
review ofa detention orders,and in an effortto reduce the public health dsk to fedetal
defendantsdetninedinlocaljat
'ls,anymotion forreconsiderationorreview ofadetention
ordershould bem adein writing and docketed viaECF.ln caseswhere thedefendantand
governm entcannotagree asto term sand conditionsofbond necessitated by theptesent
publichealt.h crisis,thegovernmentshallfllearesponsein writingwithin 3 (three)days.
Them otion shallbe dete= ined prom ptly by thecotut.
13.The colzrtwill continue to m onitor the CO V1D -19 public health em ergency and will
mm end tllisotdetasapptoptiate.
. Entetthis24t1Q ayofMatch2020.
/w/ *' J , '
'
. ..
chae .Urbanski
ClliefUnited StatesDistdctludge
4
