Law360 is providing free access to its coronavirus coverage to make sure all members of the legal community have accurate information in this time of uncertainty and change. Use the form below to sign up for any of our weekly newsletters. Signing up for any of our section newsletters will opt you in to the weekly Coronavirus briefing.
Sign up for our Illinois newsletter
You must correct or enter the following before you can sign up:
Thank You!
Law360 (November 13, 2020, 5:02 PM EST ) All civil case matters in the Northern District of Illinois will have to proceed virtually and district clerk's offices will be closed to the public through mid-January, as COVID-19 cases in the district and state continue to surge, the court's chief judge said Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said in a letter Thursday that all civil case proceedings in the district's Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, courts will be conducted by video or phone beginning Monday. And the courts' clerk's offices are to close to the public by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, though office staff will still accept case filings submitted electronically or through email, physical mail or courthouse lobby drop boxes, Judge Pallmeyer wrote.
Judge Pallmeyer said it is necessary to tighten the reins on courthouse activities in light of "marked increases" in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the district over the last several days.
"Your safety remains my first priority as chief judge," she said in the letter. "Please do your best to protect yourselves and others, not only here in the courthouse, but also in your personal lives. This will be behind us — soon, I hope — and I want all of you back in person and healthy."
The court is aware of the state's rising coronavirus case numbers and public health officials' urging to limit in-person gatherings, "and we are honoring those recommendations to the extent possible," the chief judge told Law360 in a statement Friday. But "our court also recognizes the need to keep the wheels of justice turning," she said.
"Over the last months, we have worked hard to develop and use videoconference and telephone platforms to conduct hearings and issue rulings," the judge said. "We very much look forward to returning to our traditional active courtroom practice, and expect that we will, as soon as we can do so safely."
Judge Pallmeyer had already shut down jury trials about two weeks ago to help protect against Illinois' increasing coronavirus case numbers. They will remain suspended through mid-January to help limit the number of people who visit the courthouse, her Thursday letter said.
"As you have seen in many recent letters from me, our court is not immune from the coronavirus," Judge Pallmeyer said. "A number of employees, visitors, and security personnel have tested positive."
The chief judge halted jury trials as the state began reporting several days with record numbers of residents testing positive for COVID-19. Illinois was reporting a daily average of nearly 6,000 new cases of the virus at the time.
Case numbers have more than doubled since then, with the state on Thursday reporting 12,788 newly positive COVID-19 cases. On Friday, health officials reported yet another record total of 15,415 newly confirmed coronavirus cases in the state.
This latest round of increased virus safety measures came the same day that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a stay-at-home advisory urging residents to significantly limit their travel and gatherings and only leave their homes for critical needs. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also told residents Thursday that "some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order" could be on the horizon if the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations "don't take a turn in the coming days."
--Editing by Daniel King.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
