Alexandria Circuit Court Policy Update

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO THE BAR AND THE PUBLIC CONCERNING THE ALEXANDRIA CIRCUIT COURT’S CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS

As a temporary precaution and in light of the challenging current events, please note the following modifications to the Alexandria Circuit Court’s docket in order to limit the number of people who must come to the Courthouse:

Consistent with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia’s order Declaring a Judicial Emergency, and the Circuit Court of Alexandria’s Pandemic Policy Procedures the following are the Circuit Court’s procedures effective March 17, 2020 until further notice or revision:

For the next thirty (30) days, the Alexandria Treatment Court will continue as scheduled, with hearings every Thursday at 2:00 p.m.  In addition, the Circuit Court will only be hearing criminal bond motions, bond appeals, and civil and criminal emergency motions, as outlined below.

A. CIVIL:

1. All civil bench and jury trials are suspended for the next thirty (30) days through April 17, 2020.  These cases will be set for status conference on June 8, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., unless the parties agree to appear telephonically by calling Judges’ Chambers at 703-746-4123 and setting a new trial date.
2. All Motions Day dockets (2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month) are suspended through April 17, 2020, except those emergency matters set by contacting Judges’ Chambers.
3. The current civil status conference/selection of trial date docket is continued from April 13, 2020 to May 11, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. 
4. All civil appeals noted from the JDR Court & GDC between March 16, 2020 and mid-May shall be scheduled by the Clerks of the JDR Court and the GDC for the June 8, 2020 Circuit Court Status Hearing/Selection of a Trial Date at 9:00 a.m. However, the parties may contact Judges’ Chambers if they wish to select a trial date by telephone.

B. CRIMINAL:

1. All criminal trials, both jury and bench, are suspended for the next thirty (30) days through April 17, 2020.  Parties who have a jury trial scheduled during this period should contact Judges’ Chambers to reschedule the trial. 
2. All criminal motions are suspended through April 17, 2020, with the exception of bond motions and bond appeals, which will be held via video conferencing and scheduled through Judges’ Chambers.
3. Parties having emergency matters should contact Judges’ Chambers.
4. Set-date and monthly reviews in criminal cases scheduled for April and May, including reviews of restitution, UGB, local probation, and 18.2-251 and 18.2-57.3-dispositions, to the extent possible, should be continued to June 4, 2020, or another Commonwealth Day Docket in June, and handled by agreed order in advance of court.  A single agreed order may be used for multiple cases all set on the same day (i.e., Commonwealth Day set-dates can be reduced to one order in which each case is identified by case number and a copy of the order is scanned into each case file).
5.  All criminal appeals noted from the JDR Court & the GDC between March 16, 2020 and mid-May shall be scheduled by the Clerks of the JDR Court and the GDC for a jury-election/set-date in Circuit Court on June 4, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.

Emergency matters include but are not limited to:

Quarantine or isolation matters
Arraignments

Bail Review

Protective Order Cases

Emergency Child Custody and Protection Cases

Civil Commitment Hearings

Guardian/conservator Hearings