In September, the district courts in the Rocket Docket began to carefully resume operations that had been suspended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The courts resumed criminal jury trials using a modified process with altered courtrooms that allowed for...
Rocket Docket Halting Criminal Jury Trials as COVID-19 Surges in District
Acknowledging the deterioration of conditions in the community, on November 16, 2020, the Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Virginia issued General Order 2020-22, in which the court decided to “take an incremental step back” by halting all criminal jury trials...
Bringing Local Rules on Photography and Recording Up to Date
Many of you will find it refreshing—as I do—to focus on a development in the EDVA Rocket Docket that is not directly related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The District Court has proposed changed in Local Civil Rule 83.3 and Local Criminal Rule 53 (which are...
EDVA Adopts Modified Jury Packet for Prospective Trial Jurors
The latest adjustment in the District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia to the COVID-19 pandemic is the adoption of a modified jury summons packet that will be provided to all prospective jurors within the District. The Court adopted this packet in...
Rocket Docket to Resume Criminal Jury Trials No Earlier Than September.
On June 30, 2020, Chief Judge Mark S. Davis issued General Order 2020-19, announcing that the resumption of criminal jury trials in the Eastern District of Virginia will be delayed until September 14, 2020. This most recent General Order does not further address the...
In the Rocket Docket, Motions are Not Just for Fridays Any More
For those of us who practice regularly in the Eastern District of Virginia, for many years, Fridays have been busy days in the courthouse, with lots of traffic at the entrances and in the elevators. This is because the District Judges and Magistrate Judges have...
Court Institutes “Phased Expansion of Court Operations” COVID-19 Edition, Part 4
On May 26, 2020, the Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Virginia issued General Order No. 2020-16 setting forth the “phased expansion of court operations.” This General Order represents the next step in the Court’s efforts to keep court proceedings going while...
Riding the Rocket Docket – COVID-19 Edition, Part 3
In our last installment, we discussed the general orders issued by the court that further continued in-person hearings and deadlines in civil cases. On April 20, 2020, the Clerk of the Court in the Eastern District of Virginia sent out an email announcing a new...
Riding the Rocket Docket – The COVID-19 Edition, Part 2
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has continued to issue General Orders adjusting its practice rules to accommodate the competing interests of public health safety and the Constitutional rights and other...
Riding the Rocket Docket – The COVID-19 Edition
While the nation (and the world) struggle with the spread of the novel coronavirus, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has put a number of changes in place that mirror those occurring in other federal and state courts. A summary of the...