Los Angeles County Superior Court Order Limit of People in Courthouses Covid-19 Infections
November 23, 2020
PRESIDING JUDGE KEVIN C. BRAZILE ISSUES ORDER TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ALLOWED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY COURTHOUSES AMID SPIKE IN COUNTY AND STATEWIDE COVID-19 INFECTIONS
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, public access to courthouses is restricted to authorized persons only and measures to enforce social distancing in courthouse hallways and courtrooms will be strictly enforced as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge in Los Angeles County, Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile announced today.
COURT ORDER:
- Since March 2020, when state and local public health officials issued stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Court has endeavored to strike a balance between preserving access to justice and safeguarding the well-being of those who work in and use its courthouses.
Initially, it continued cases pursuant to the authority the Chief Justice granted under Government Code section 68115 and limited operations to statutorily mandated, urgent or emergent matters. To operate trial courts safely during the pandemic, the Court implemented health and safety measures reviewed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The Court began ramping up operations in June and July 2020. To reduce the number of people in its courthouses, it implemented technology to facilitate remote appearances, collaborated with justice agencies to implement multiple measures to decrease courthouse traffic, and authorized as many of its employees to telework as the work of the Court permitted.
The general orders the Court issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted lawsuits from civil litigants seeking to have the Court adjudicate their cases. While some attorneys sought jury trials, other attorneys objected to coming into court during a pandemic.
Recently, despite mandatory and previous general orders requiring the use of face masks and social distancing and ubiquitous signage in each courthouse reiterating the face mask and social distancing mandates, attorneys, litigants, and others routinely remove their masks, wear their mask improperly, and/or fail to observe social distancing while in courthouses. Non-compliance with the basic protective measures that this Court has repeatedly required by way of prior general orders to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus may increase COVID-19 infections.
On Sunday, November 22, 2020, Los Angeles County reported 2,718 new COVID-19 infections. The highest single-day infection rate of 4,522 that the County has experienced during the pandemic occurred on Saturday, November 21, 2020. The five-day average for COVID-19 infections in Los Angeles County is now 4,097. There were also 34 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday and another nine (9) yesterday, adding to the grim total of 7,438 COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles County. Moreover, the seven-day testing positivity rate continues to rise alarmingly and now stands at 5.9%. Due to the rise in the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which public health officials describe as dangerous, the Court must take the following additional protective measures.
THE COURT HEREBY FINDS AND ORDERS AS FOLLOWS: Courthouse Access
1. In the interest of enforcing social distancing and to reduce the number of people in courthouses, access to courthouses is restricted at all times to judicial officers, court staff, co-lessees, Judicial Council staff, vendors, jurors, mediators, authorized persons (which includes, but is not limited to, news media representatives and news reporters), attorneys, litigants and witnesses with matters on calendars, and individuals with confirmed appointments.
2. In the interest of enforcing social distancing and reducing the number of people in courthouses, effective Monday, November 30, 2020, members of the public, not otherwise referenced above, who wish to attend a court proceeding may do so upon advance request and at the discretion of the judicial officer presiding over the matter. Instructions on how to make such a request will be available on the Court’s website at the Here for You | Safe for You page. All persons attending court proceedings, whether in person or remotely, must comply with applicable California Rules of Court, including Rule 1.150. There shall be no unauthorized recording of the court proceeding, hearing or trial.
3. Attorneys, litigants, witnesses, and authorized persons are prohibited from gathering with or speaking to anyone outside their household in courthouse hallways or other public areas of the Court unless they can do so at least six feet apart from each other and while wearing a mask over their nose and mouth.
4. To enforce social distancing, each court department shall schedule only the number of matters during each session as it can accommodate consistent with social distancing requirements in courtrooms and outside hallways of the courthouse.
5. Eating in courthouse hallways and courtrooms shall be prohibited at all times.
6. Sheriff’s Department personnel are directed to enforce the General Order re Facial Coverings and Social Distancing (2020-GEN-016).
THIS ORDER IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, EXCEPT FOR PARAGRAPH 2, WHICH SHALL BE EFFECTIVE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020, AND THIS ENTIRE ORDER SHALL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL RESCINDED OR SUPERSEDED BY ANOTHER GENERAL ORDER, AND MAY BE AMENDED AS CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRE.
Dated: November 23, 2020