The Entire Legal System Is Not On Pause

This week I experienced being in a courthouse that is essentially closed for all but emergency matters. I had a case in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse for a hearing on a temporary conservatorship. 

Access to the courthouse is strictly monitored. I had to give my name, name of the case and department number to the Sheriffs at the entrance. They checked my information against a list they had and then allowed me to enter. Once inside it was a ghost town. Only a few court staff could be seen here and there on the first floor as I walked to the escalator. I took the escalator from the first floor to the sixth floor and encounter only one other person the whole time. Arriving on the sixth floor, I realized my client and I were the only ones in the two block long hallway. The other parties in the case were appearing via telephone conference.  

Since our case was the only one on calendar we had the unusual luxury of time. The judge allowed us to argue the case for over an hour and a half which gave him the time to make a very thoughtful well-reasoned decision. It appears that the courts will remain in this state until June 22, 2020 when they are scheduled to reopen to the public.  

https://www.law.com/therecorder/2020/05/03/how-covid-19-is-impacting-california-courts-roundup-of-services/?slreturn=20200408115640#