Revised Memorandum Regarding Alexandria Circuit Court Ordered COVID-19 Temporary Procedures

Effective March 30, 2020, to be consistent with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia’s Order Extending Declaration of Judicial Emergency in Response to COVID-19, the Circuit Court of Alexandria’s Pandemic Policy Procedures issued on March 16, 2020, shall remain in effect and be extended through April 26, 2020, unless further amended or revised, as follows:

The Alexandria Treatment Court (“ATC”) will continue as scheduled, with hearings every Thursday at 2:00 p.m., via Zoom video conferencing for treatment team members and participants in the ATC program.  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 through April 26, 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 (2^nd and 4^th Wednesdays of the month) are suspended through April 26, 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 through April 26, 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 26, 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