Judge Linsdey Adams
Local judges clarified during a news conference Friday morning what activities will remain ongoing at the Christian County Justice Center in the coming weeks and what steps are being taken to protect citizens and employees from coronavirus.
As previously reported, Kentucky Chief Justice John Minton has ordered that in-person appearances for criminal and civil court dockets be cancelled from Monday through April 10, with some exceptions.
Judge John Atkins says all jury trials between now and the end of March have been vacated, so this month’s jurors will no longer need to call in. He says the main impact is there will no longer be the long court dockets on Wednesdays and most of those hearings will be continued until another date.
He says he agrees with Justice Minton’s order and believes it’s the responsibility of government to do as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
District Judge Lindsey Adams notes that the courts must continue taking up certain hearings such as domestic violence and emergency protective orders and hearings for individuals who are incarcerated.
Circuit Judge Andrew Self wants the public to know the Christian County Justice Center remains open, including the driver’s licensing office, but the steps they are taking to reduce the number of people who must come to the building are important.
All of the judges gave the same advice—if you have a question about if a hearing you are involved with is still scheduled—call the circuit court clerk’s office at 270-889-6539.