On November 23, 2020, the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals issued their Fourth Emergency Joint Order Regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster, SCAD-2020-107. Unlike prior Orders issued by the high courts, this Order seems to be full of suggestions but definitely lacking in the kind of imperative that one would expect in an "Order".
Essentially, the Order allows each county to make its own decisions about COVID-19 precautions (mask requirements, number of persons who may be present, barring people with symptoms or exposure, whether to crowd a courtroom with potential jurors for a jury trial, etc.). In case you haven't visited Oklahoma's courthouses lately, that's exactly what has been going on since May - each courthouse has its own rules, which sometimes vary within judicial districts, or even from judge to judge in the same building. As you might expect, that level of inconsistency is maddening to someone who has to visit more than one courthouse for work. This issue is cited by Justices Colbert and Darby in their dissent. However, that is the world we live in as we head to the closing stages of 2020.
Among the only imperative provisions of the Order is ¶ 13, which bars lawyers and the general public from entering the Oklahoma Judicial Center, where the people who issued this Order have their offices. Additionally, for some inexplicable (and unexplained) reason judges using state-owned equipment are banned from using Zoom on said equipment for remote hearings, while Microsoft Teams is permitted for everyone, and BlueJeans is permitted with special permission of the Chief Justice, per ¶ 8.
Otherwise, the Order doesn't say much. There are a lot of "shoulds" and "cans" and the like, but not much direction. Thus, if you are heading to one of Oklahoma's 77 county courthouses, you should check in advance to find out if you can enter and under what circumstances.
Essentially, the Order allows each county to make its own decisions about COVID-19 precautions (mask requirements, number of persons who may be present, barring people with symptoms or exposure, whether to crowd a courtroom with potential jurors for a jury trial, etc.). In case you haven't visited Oklahoma's courthouses lately, that's exactly what has been going on since May - each courthouse has its own rules, which sometimes vary within judicial districts, or even from judge to judge in the same building. As you might expect, that level of inconsistency is maddening to someone who has to visit more than one courthouse for work. This issue is cited by Justices Colbert and Darby in their dissent. However, that is the world we live in as we head to the closing stages of 2020.
Among the only imperative provisions of the Order is ¶ 13, which bars lawyers and the general public from entering the Oklahoma Judicial Center, where the people who issued this Order have their offices. Additionally, for some inexplicable (and unexplained) reason judges using state-owned equipment are banned from using Zoom on said equipment for remote hearings, while Microsoft Teams is permitted for everyone, and BlueJeans is permitted with special permission of the Chief Justice, per ¶ 8.
Otherwise, the Order doesn't say much. There are a lot of "shoulds" and "cans" and the like, but not much direction. Thus, if you are heading to one of Oklahoma's 77 county courthouses, you should check in advance to find out if you can enter and under what circumstances.
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