Today, the San Diego County Bar Association hosted a “State of the Court Address” online via Zoom. Presenters included the San Diego Superior Court Presiding Judge Lorna Alksne, Assistant Presiding Judge Michael Smyth, and Mike Roddy, the CEO of the Superior Court. There were over 2600 attendees in on the meeting to hear the latest updates! Allegedly, this was the largest Zoom meeting of its kind regarding the state of the court in the State of California.
As for what was covered in the criminal arena:
The court will remain closed except for essential or emergency services until at least May 22nd, 2020. For a full list of what matters are being addressed, look at the court orders on the San Diego Court website.
As the court closure continues, additional services will be expanded in the coming weeks utilizing technology for appearances like court call and video hearings. As of right now, there are 19,787 criminal matters that must be reset. And, there are a total of 48,834 matters in all divisions that need to be rescheduled! As you can imagine, that is a huge lift for the court and your continued patience as things go back online is appreciated.
If you have a case that has been filed, you are encouraged to contact the District Attorney or City Attorney assigned to the case to find out the status moving forward. If you attempted to talk to the prosecutor without a response, you can now email the court on case specific matters. This information can be found on the San Diego Superior Court website.
In custody misdemeanor and felony matters will begin arraignments on Friday, May 1st, via Microsoft Teams. You need to download the software to obtain access to the virtual hearings.
Additionally, the court is exploring how to gradually reopen. Another “State of the Courts” meeting will be held, if needed. Otherwise, the best way to find out the most up to date information is to go on the court website.