March 19, 2020 – Courts in the Central District of Illinois have changed course on their cancellations and procedures with an amended order to help fight the spread of COVID-19. Those changes include:
1. The United States Courthouse located in Peoria shall remain open with limited staff;
2. The United States Courthouses located in Springfield and Urbana will be closed to the public, and court operations for the Rock Island Division, temporarily relocated in Davenport, will be closed to the public. All filings should be made electronically via CM/ECF. For those persons without access to the Court’s electronic filing system, filings for District Court and Bankruptcy Court should be submitted via United States Mail to the relevant divisional mailing address or to a drop box located in each location. Payments by check or money order will be accepted via United States Mail or the courthouse drop boxes. Cash payments will not be accepted during the effective period of this Order. No deliveries may be made to chambers.
3. All public gatherings, including Naturalization Ceremonies, are suspended during the effective period of this Order;
4. All civil and criminal jury trials scheduled to begin before May 18, 2020, are continued and shall be rescheduled by the presiding judge to a date after May 18, 2020;
5. All Petty Offense (CVB) proceedings are continued and shall be rescheduled by the presiding judge to a date after May 18, 2020;
6. All civil hearings, including settlement conferences, shall be conducted by telephone or video teleconference;
7. In criminal proceedings:
a. When reviewing a complaint or deciding whether to issue a warrant or summons, judges shall do so by reliable electronic means, rather than in person, pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 4.1
b. Initial appearances and arraignments shall be conducted by video conference pursuant to Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 5(f) and 10(c) when practicable and with the consent of the defendant;
c. When a detention hearing has been set and a defendant decides to consent to detention, the defendant shall file a written motion waiving his or her right to a detention hearing before the scheduled hearing;
d. All hearings on the revocation of supervised release scheduled to begin before May 18, 2020, are continued and shall be rescheduled by the presiding judge to a date after May 18, 2020;
e. All sentencing hearings scheduled to begin before May 18, 2020, are continued and shall be rescheduled by the presiding judge to a date after May 18, 2020;
f. Motions to continue in-person criminal hearings shall be made by written motion no less than three (3) days prior to the scheduled hearing and setting forth in the body of the motion 1) whether the opposing party agrees to the continuance; 2) the reasons for the continuance; and 3) why the ends of justice outweigh the interests of the parties and the public in a speedy trial.
In criminal cases, the Court finds that the time period of any continuance entered from the date of this Order through May 18, 2020, as a result of this Order shall be excluded under the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(A), as the Court finds that the ends of justice served by taking that action outweigh the interests of the parties and the public in a speedy trial, given the need to protect the health and safety of defendants, their counsel, prosecutors, court staff, and the public by reducing the number of in-person hearings to the fullest extent possible.
