Earlier today, the Choctaw Nation Constitutional Court issued an order effectively continuing all non-emergency proceedings until after April 18, 2020. The order, which largely follows the pattern of other orders posted here, can be found here.
We have mostly focused on Bryan County here because that's the focus of our practice. But other counties in our service area are also affected, and we finally have an update from Judge Coppedge, who serves as the District Judge overseeing Marshall, Johnston, Love and Murray Counties. Essentially, the order boils down to everything not an emergency or involving someone not in custody is stayed until AT LEAST April 16, 2020. So your ordinary civil matters, divorces, probates, and out-of-custody criminal cases are stayed until at least that date (the order actually doesn't say they will resume that date). If you have one of those cases, and you have an attorney, you should talk to his office. If you do not have an attorney, then call the relevant number from the order. The text of the order is here.
Per the latest Administrative Order, if you are NOT in custody, but set for an initial appearance in Bryan County between now and May 1, 2020, your initial appearance is now set for May 1, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. Even if you have a ticket or some other paperwork that tells you to appear in Bryan County District Court on some other date before May 1, your court date is now May 1. The text of the administrative order is here.
Late yesterday, March 17, we were provided new Administrative Orders that revised the original plan for criminal cases in Bryan County. Briefly, the March 19 Misdemeanor Disposition Docket has been completely rescheduled for May 28, 2020, at 9:00 AM; this means if you have a misdemeanor set for disposition on March 19 in Bryan County, it has now been rescheduled and YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE THERE. Additionally, another order provides that all felony preliminary hearings set beginning today and through April 8 are being continued. We will be getting new dates on each of these matters, hopefully today, and contacting our clients. IF YOU ARE A CLIENT AND YOU DO NOT HEAR FROM US, CONTACT OUR OFFICE TO FIND OUT IF YOUR COURT DATE IN THAT PERIOD HAS BEEN MOVED.
The text of the misdemeanor docket order is here: ao20206.pdf The text of the preliminary hearing order for felonies is here: ao20207.pdf Once again, please call our office if you have any questions, and thank you for your patience as we work through all of this. NOTICE RE COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) OUTBREAK: The Oklahoma Supreme Court, Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, and the District Court of Bryan County issued orders late in the day on March 16, 2020 regarding scheduling or continuing matters during the current public health crisis. The text of the Oklahoma Supreme Court's and Court of Criminal Appeals' joint order can be found here: scad-2020-24.pdf The text of Bryan County's order can be found here: ao20000.005.pdf
The short version of these is that civil cases are largely being rescheduled, while criminal cases are NOT. IF YOU ARE A CLIENT, UNLESS WE TELL YOU OTHERWISE YOU ARE REQUIRED TO APPEAR IN COURT ON A CRIMINAL CASE OR A WARRANT MAY BE ISSUED FOR YOUR ARREST. If you fall into one of the following categories, AND PROVIDE PROOF TO US PRIOR TO YOUR COURT DATE, then we should be able to get your appearance excused: a. Persons who have been diagnosed with or have direct contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19. b. Persons with symptoms such as fever, severe cough, or shortness of breath. c. Persons who have traveled to any country outside of the U.S. in the past 14 days, and those with whom they live or have had close contact. d. Persons who are quarantined or isolated by any doctor or who voluntarily quarantine. We will be working to minimize in-person appointments during this emergency, and expect to be rescheduling those that are not absolutely time-sensitive. Please check our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/hlopllc/) for updates on this developing situation, and in the meantime, be patient and please PLEASE follow the directives from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as they work to bring these matters under control. |
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