HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday ending the statewide judicial emergency declared due to COVID-19.
The order goes into effect on June 1, the Court said.
As part of its Order, the Court has directed that administrative orders issued by the intermediate appellate courts, as well as local emergency orders and directives, including those affecting time calculations and deadlines remain in full force and effect until they expire or are rescinded.
In addition, the Court’s Order gives authority to president judges to extend or declare local judicial emergencies.
In districts under local judicial emergency, the Court has specifically empowered president judges to:
- Limit in-person access and proceedings to safeguard the health and safety of court staff, users and the public;
- Suspend jury trials until they can be conducted within health and safety norms;
- Suspend statewide rules:
- restricting the use of advanced communication technology
- impeding local provisions for court filings by means other than in-person delivery
- pertaining to rule-based rights to a prompt trial
Additional information about the impact of COVID-19 on court operations is available online, at @pennsylvaniacourts and @PACourts.
