Federal courts are coordinating with state and local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to obtain information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) to aid their response, recovery, and reopening efforts. Courts are regularly releasing orders to address operating status, public and employee safety, and other court business.
New information about the Judiciary’s response and recovery will be continually added to this page.
Page last updated May 27, 2021.
Policy and Procedures
Federal courts are taking necessary steps to reopen while safeguarding the health and safety of employees, litigants, and the public as they fulfill their constitutional role of hearing cases and administering justice fairly and impartially.
- Smoke Tests Protect Courtroom Air From COVID-19 (Published on 3/4/2021)
- Courts Suspending Jury Trials as COVID-19 Cases Surge (Published on 11/20/2020)
- Some Courts Slow Reopening Plans as COVID Cases Rise (Published on 7/16/2020)
- Public Input Received on Possible Emergency Procedures (Published on 6/4/2020)
- Judiciary Seeks Funding, Legislative Changes to Aid COVID-19 Response (Published on 5/5/2020)
- Courts Begin to Consider Guidelines for Reopening (Published on 4/27/2020)
- Federal Judiciary Confronts Coronavirus Spread: Judicial Conference Acts on Court Administration Matters (Published on 3/17/2020)
Virtual Access to Court Proceedings
Federal courts have adopted video and audio technologies to continue court proceedings and allow for public and media access.
- Defenders Navigate Uncharted Territory During Pandemic (Published on 3/25/2021)
- As Pandemic Lingers, Courts Lean Into Virtual Technology (Published on 2/18/2021)
- Courts Deliver Justice Virtually Amid Coronavirus Outbreak (Published on 4/8/2020)
- Judiciary Provides Public, Media Access to Electronic Court Proceedings (Published on 4/3/2020)
- Judiciary Authorizes Video/Audio Access During COVID-19 Pandemic (Published on 3/31/2020)
Operational Changes
The Judiciary is modifying many of its functions to better address issues related to jury trials, probation and pretrial services, law clerk hiring, and other areas affected by the pandemic.
- Omicron Puts Strain on Jury Trials (Published 1/25/2022)
- Defenders Work to Ensure Due Process Amid Pandemic (Published on 8/19/2020)
- Officers Innovate in the Field During COVID-19 Crisis (Published on 6/11/2020)
- Judiciary Issues Report on Restarting Jury Trials (Published on 6/10/2020)
- Judges Urged to Go All-Electronic in Clerkship Hiring (Published on 5/28/2020)
- Courts Suspend Jury Trials in Response to Coronavirus (Published on 3/26/2020)
Reckoning with Recovery
A multi-part series of news articles examines how federal courts are working to recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
- As COVID-19 Cases Fall, Juries Get Back to Work (Published on 5/27/2021)
- As Pandemic Lingers, Courts Lean Into Virtual Technology (Published on 2/18/2021)
- Grand Juries Carry on During Pandemic (Published on 10/27/2020)
- Courts Making Juror Safety a Top Priority (Published on 9/10/2020)
- Federal Judges Reinventing the Jury Trial During Pandemic (Published on 8/27/2020)
- As Courts Restore Operations, COVID-19 Creates a New Normal (Published on 8/20/2020)
Community Engagement
From donating protective equipment to local hospitals to holding virtual learning sessions for students, federal courts are finding new and innovative ways to serve their communities.
- Judges, Lawyers Bring Life Skills to Virtual Classroom Activities for Home and School (Published 8/6/2020)
- Even During COVID, Courts Find Ways to Welcome New Americans (Published on 7/7/2020)
- Judiciary Employees Find Ways to Help During Pandemic (Published on 6/23/2020)
- A New Road to Citizenship in Detroit (Published on 6/18/2020)
- Virtual Internships Provide Inside Look at Court (Published on 6/16/2020)
- Courts and Classes are Closed, But Judges Make Virtual House Calls During COVID-19 Crisis (Published on 5/14/2020)
- Courts Search for Protective Gear to Aid Hospitals (Published on 4/1/2020)
- Online Tools Make Civics Accessible to Teachers, Parents, and Teens (Published on 3/25/2020)
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