Chief District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel issued an order Friday extending the COVID-19 precautions at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois through May 31.
According to the administrative order, the courthouses in Benton and East St. Louis will remain closed until the end of May.
However, the court will continue to handle emergencies related to public safety, public health and welfare, and individual liberty. Only litigants with a scheduled proceeding, counsel of record and their employees, law enforcement with official duties, investigators, court interpreters, credential press, and those authorized on official business may enter the buildings without prior permission from a judge or agency housed in the courthouse.
Also, there will be no in-court hearings or trials until after May 31.
All grand jury sessions are suspended until after May 18. However, criminal warrants, complaints and similar matters will continue to be processed.
“The Governor of Illinois declared a disaster and entered a ‘stay-at-home’ Executive Order now in effect until May 31, 2020,” Rosenstengel wrote. “The rate of contamination in the 38 counties comprising this district has not yet peaked. On March 29, 2020, the Judicial Conference of the United States declared that emergency conditions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak are materially affecting, and will continue to materially affect, the functioning of the federal courts generally.”
She added that under the recovery guidelines issued April 24 by the Administrative Office of the United States, the district court “cannot begin a phased reopening of the courthouses at this time, and it cannot apply the recommended social distancing measures and simultaneously continue its operations in the usual way without endangering the health of defendants, counsel, witnesses, the public, and court personnel.”
According to the order, all employees are directed to telework until May 31, except when their supervisors instruct them to report to the courthouse to perform essential functions. All employees who are unable to telework or perform alternate duties will be placed on administrative leave after consultation with their supervisors.