Court opened in Madison County, Illinois today. I had a substantial docket in the morning. I arrived and was handed two full weeks of cases that needed to be continued. Only a few attorneys were in attendance (about 12). No judges. All the judges were in their chambers and were only coming out into the courtrooms if a hearing was required. Only 4 prosecutors were there with all the prosecutors' orders. I was able to get all the orders filled out in about an hour. Upon completing my business we are expected to immediately leave the courthouse. I did so. I was advised that any contested proceedings for out of custody clients are to be handled via ZOOM if at all possible. ZOOM is very easy to use. We use it on both desktops and telephones. It is very handy for out of state clients. They won't have to travel to court to handle routine matters, including probation pleas.
I still am not sure how jury trials will occur. None of the criminal judges have addressed that issue as of this date. The civil judges have stated that no jury trials will begin until after August 1, 2020. I will periodically update my website with this information.
Please call us if you have any other questions. I will be glad to keep you up to date on the information we receive.
