BUFFALO, N.Y. — Certain in-person court proceedings will resume Friday under New York State's Phase 3 reopening guidelines. Since March, most criminal and civil matters have been handled virtually due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Court appearances and calendars will be staggered to ensure no more than half of the courtrooms are in use at any one time.
“In order to keep up our progress as we re-establish in-person courthouse operations across the State, we must proceed cautiously, remaining vigilant in following the new safety measures and operational protocols designed to protect the health of our judges, staff and court visitors,” said Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.
Matters to now be heard in-person include:
- Child support proceedings
- Selected plea and sentencing proceedings for defendants at liberty
- Preliminary hearings in criminal cases for defendants being held in jail on felony complaints
- Arraignments of defendants issued desk appearance tickets
- A limited number of bench trials in civil matters
- Essential Family Court matters will continue to be heard in-person
If a proceeding involves a person already in custody, that person will appear electronically unless otherwise ordered by the assigned judge.
Non-essential matters such as juvenile delinquency and mental hygiene law hearings will continue to be held virtually by the assigned judge as well as mediation/alternative dispute resolution cases.
Among new safety procedures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, court visitors will be required to undergo screening before entering the building and wearing of masks will be mandatory. Courthouse areas will be marked to ensure proper social distancing and hand sanitizers dispensers will be installed.
