Presiding Los Angeles County Judge Eric C. Taylor has issued a new general order extending certain criminal deadlines by two (2) weeks and certain Juvenile deadlines by four (4) weeks as Los Angeles County continues to experience community spread of COVID-19.
Although the emergency authority granted authorizes Taylor to order extensions for up to 30 days, the Court’s approach has been to order shorter extensions, thereby allowing it to reevaluate emerging developments in countywide COVID-19 infections and health department guidance.
Court officials believe this approach enables the Court to evaluate court operations and to take into account the needs and input of its justice partners. The order enables the Court to continue its measured expansion of civil and criminal jury trials as the Court works cautiously to return operations and access to justice to pre-pandemic levels, while remaining mindful of the continued public health threat the Delta variant of COVID-19 poses.
“The public health threat posed by the COVID-19 virus remains present in Los Angeles County,” Taylor said. “This order will enable the Court to maintain our careful approach to scaling up court operations while continuing to closely follow emerging public health guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Meanwhile, we continue to encourage parties to make remote appearances whenever possible and to follow all COVID-19 protocols in place in our facilities, including mask wearing,” Taylor added. “Additional safety and remote appearance information can be found at www.lacourt.org.”
In addition to the general order, Taylor reminds court users that in accordance with Amended General Order 2021-GEN-023-00, all persons—regardless of vaccination status—are required to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth while in a courthouse.
Persons seeking services from the Clerk’s Office, court support services, and/or the Self-Help Centers are encouraged to schedule appointments. For telephone or video assistance, or to schedule an appointment, the telephone number for each courthouse is listed at the courthouse entry and posted on the Court’s website, www.lacourt.org.
