Coos/Curry Court Restrictions – COVID-19, March 18

The health and safety of all patrons and employees of the Coos and Curry County Circuit Court is of the utmost importance to the court. Coos and Curry Circuit Court will begin postponing trials, hearings and reducing the number of people summoned as jurors. Governor Kate Brown has declared a public health emergency in response to the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Chief Justice Martha L. Walters has imposed significant restrictions on court operations including court trials, hearings and daily court business to limit the number of people coming into Oregon courtrooms and courthouses. These strict restrictions will help in slowing the spread of the COVID virus and minimize health risks to those who work or enter our courthouses. The restrictions will be in place until at least Friday, March 27, and may be extended or revised as circumstances warrant. “The nature of this public health emergency has led me to order the postponement of most trials and court hearings,” Walter said. “The guidelines that were issued just last Friday no longer reflect the recommendations from the Centers on Disease Control and changing circumstances here in Oregon. We will do our best to provide people their day in court when we can safely do so, and we will pursue options for continuing our work without requiring in-person appearances, but, at the present time, limiting the number of people coming into our courtrooms and courthouses is paramount.” This Chief Justice Order 20-006: Postpones, with limited exceptions, jury trials and other trials and hearings scheduled to start between Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 27. Some courts will implement the postponements as early as tomorrow. Jury trials that can be completed before March 19 will continue. The limited exceptions include proceedings involving people in jail with a legal right to a speedy trial, civil commitment hearings, and certain protective order, family law, guardianship, and treatment court proceedings.  Bans in-state and out-of-state work-related travel and bans internal meetings of five or more people. Larger meetings will be conducted remotely or re-scheduled. Presiding judges in each county will decide which judges and court staff need to work at the courthouse or remotely from home. Presiding judges in each county will work with the public safety community to ensure that they consider how best to address health issues of those who are incarcerated and how to keep jail populations at a minimum. The court will remain open only for legally required in-person services. We are taking all necessary measures to maintain a safe and sanitary space for all employees and patrons. To protect the public and court staff please utilize the online records and calendaring search tools available here:  https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/records-calendars.aspx to determine the status of your case or upcoming hearings. The Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) also has a simple and secure way to pay online for many types of court cases and accounts. You can pay by credit or debit card and payments will be posted to your case within one business day. https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/epay.aspx of you can pay by phone at 1-888-564-2828. As circumstances surrounding this public emergency are changing rapidly, the court will continue to evaluate the situation and adjust as needed for the protection of the public and court staff.