Sacramento courts announce cutback in hearings, trials in response to COVID-19 surge

Responding to a spike in COVID-19 cases, Sacramento Superior court officials announced a reduction Tuesday in the number of trials and hearings to be held at least through Jan. 21.

The move, the latest in a series of efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus since the pandemic began nearly two years ago, includes “greatly restricting the number of jury trials assigned,” using vacant court departments for jury deliberations and cutting back on the number of preliminary hearings, court officials said in a statement.

“California is experiencing a significant spike in positive COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant,” Presiding Judge Michael G. Bowman said in a statement announcing the measures. “We have seen a similar uptick in positive cases in Sacramento County and here at our own court, with cases quadrupling.

“Unfortunately, this is something we anticipated.”

The move follows a series of precautions that courts in Sacramento and across California have followed since the pandemic began in 2020, including temporary shutdowns of court buildings, the use of video appearances for many hearings, mask requirements and a reduction in the number of hearings held.

Sacramento’s coronavirus caseload hit an all-time high this week, and court officials said further steps may be necessary to protect the public’s health.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and will scale up or scale down depending on the current circumstances,” the judge said. “A further scale down could include fully remote hearings.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Sacramento courts announce cutback in hearings, trials in response to COVID-19 surge."