Many things have changed in the 22nd Judicial Circuit since my last post. And, I think they will continue to change as the virus situation changes. There are so many moving parts to this emergency that no one can really say with any assurance how things are going to move.
Judge Sippel, the presiding District Judge in the U.S. Eastern District of Missouri, has of yesterday issued an order essentially continuing all “non-essential,” in-person court proceedings for the entire federal district courts through May 31, 2020. Yes, May 31st. I expect that sooner or later the Missouri Supreme Court and our judges will follow suit.
https://www.moed.uscourts.gov/sites/moed/files/documents/news/Order-03172020.pdf
Presently, in the City the CAO has gone to a rotating skeleton crew. Detention hearings and bond hearings are about the only things going on. The City court houses are pretty much ghost towns. Many judges are preemptively continuing status conferences, bond appearances, etc. Of course all jury trials have been canceled. It’s a good idea to call (a day ahead of time) before you go to court. I’m telling all my bond clients not to go to court unless I specifically tell them otherwise.
The sheriffs — God bless them — are screening people as they come into the court houses by taking their (forehead skin) temperature. I walked into the Carnahan Building today after walking 3 blocks in the cold to have mine checked. The deputy looked at the result, said, “Your’s is 92. You’re good.”
At the Justice Center and at MSI you are also screened with questions about your health and travels before admittance.
Of course, this means the much-anticipated Tisaby trial set March 30th will be continued. And the Joe Neill bench trial which was scheduled for this afternoon has been continued to May 26th.
And, for some sad news: Kristy Ridings (The Ridings Group) was officially disbarred as of March 17, 2020. She will be missed. She was good at criminal defense but apparently very bad at business.
Shifting gears: do what you can to slow the spread of the virus. The whole idea of social distancing is not to prevent you from contracting the disease. It is to prevent — or at least slow — the spread of it. So assume you are a carrier of the corona virus. How should you as a virus carrier behave? Every person with whom you have contact, you are putting at risk. If you aren’t concerned for your health, at least be concerned for the health of other people.