The Washington County Courthouse in downtown Bartlesville slightly reopened to the public on Monday morning as directed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

District Judge Linda Thomas said they have some leeway to tailor those orders to what is best for Washington County and its citizens. She said she has worked closely with judges Kyra Franks, Russell Vaclaw and Jared Sigler with an efficient system to keep everyone healthy and safe.

This means providing those who do not want to come to court physically the means to keep their distance from others. The Washington County Courthouse is utilizing distance measures such as teleconferencing, FaceTime, Zoom meetings and other virtual options to keep the courthouse running smoothly.

Judge Thomas said Washington County is doing something unique through the cooperation with the four judges in the County, the County Commissioners, County Emergency Management, the Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office, IT and the Court Clerk's Office. She said Washington County Emergency Management has set up two tents in the parking lot between the Courthouse and the County Administration Building located along S. Johnstone Avenue in Bartlesville.

The judges are accessing those tents by iPad; dockets are being held remotely. The defendants are expected to come and line up. While in line, their case will be called and they are to enter the tent on their own. Once their matter is taken care of, the defendant can leave

Judge Thomas said she anticipates this process to last two weeks at the least. She said it is more reasonable to expect this process to last through June. If the Washington County Courthouse gets more directives from the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the process – or a process similar to it – could last through July. They will continue to reflect upon the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic one to two weeks at a time. Modifications will be made as needed in the days ahead.

Should there be severe weather, Judge Thomas said there is a large conference room on the first floor of the Courthouse they could use. She said if there are too many people, they may need to have people remain in their car and have them called in as needed.

Over the course of this week, the Washington County Courthouse could see 300 to 400 people for court hearings. Most of the people will be outside in the parking lot.

Judge Thomas said the Washington County Courthouse is shooting for late-June to mid-July to get back to regular sized dockets. She said judges are doubling up on dockets and are tag teaming the effort currently to move the process along quickly, but efficiently.

The biggest delay has been the jury trials, but fortunately for Washington County, they were finished with their spring jury term prior to the court system being shut down. All but one or two jury trials were finished. Those trials will be heard in August during the fall terms. Judge Thomas said they are working hard to make sure everyone is back on track as soon as possible.

Washington County Emergency Management has provided a limited amount of masks that the Courthouse can give out to those who come to the facility and need a mask during their visit. Court security is being provided by the Washington County Sheriff's Department and they will have the final say as to who can and cannot enter the building.

 

A third administrative order regarding the COVID-19 state of disaster was put into effect by Judge Thomas on Monday. The order modifies Washington County District Court, issued on or about March, 18th, 2020 and AO-2020-2 issued on or about March 31st, 2020. In an effort to assist the judges, court clerk and other court personnel, and to the extent possible to assure the health and safety of all who have business with the Washington County District Court, the following orders apply until further notice:

1. All civil and criminal jury trials currently set before August 1st, 2020 shall be canceled and rescheduled on the next available jury docket after July 31st, 2020. Any exception shall be approved by the Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in consultation with the Presiding Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. In the event these is an objection to the continuance of any civil or criminal jury trail, the assigned judge shall make a full record including reference to all joint orders regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster.
2. In all cases, the period from March 16th, 2020 to May 15th, 2020, during which the rules regarding the suspension of all deadlines and procedures will be treated as a tolling period. May 16th, 2020 shall be the first day counted in determining the remaining time to act. For all cases pending before March 16th, 2020, the deadlines are extended for only the amount of days remaining to complete the action. By way of example only, if the rule required the filing of an answer within 20 days, and as of March 16th, 2020, the ten days remained to file the answer, then the party has ten days with May 16th, 2020 being the first day. For all cases where the time for completing the action did not commence until a date between March 16th, 2020 shall be the first day counted in determining the time to act.
3. Beginning May 16th, 2020, all rules and procedures, and all deadlines whether prescribed by statute, rule, or order in any civil, juvenile, or criminal case shall be enforced including all appellate rules and procedures for the Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Court of Civil Appeals.
4. No more than ten persons, including the judge and court personnel shall be in a courtroom at one time. In-person court appearances shall be limited to only the litigant(s) and his/her attorney of record and the necessary court personnel. No family members, friends, on-authorized by the judge assigned to the case.
5. Judges and other court personnel shall use all available means to ensure the health of all participants through all phases of any court proceeding and shall continue to use remote participation to the extent possible by use of telephone conference, Skype, Bluejeans.com, webinar-based platforms, and video conferencing pursuant to Rule 34 of the Rules for District Courts, or any other reasonable means determined by the Court. Zoom shall not be used on any computer, tablet or other device issued by the State of Oklahoma.
6. The Washington County Court Clerk shall determine public access to the court clerk's office and the method of filing documents and making payments for filing fees, costs, assessments, etc.
7. Local county officials will continue to set guidelines to the extent to which county buildings are closed or have restricted access to the public. Unless otherwise restricted by county officials, all areas of the county facility occupied by judges, judicial staff, court clerks and staff may remain restricted or closed to the public with exceptions for any matters as determined by the judge assigned to the case.
8. All of the mandated COVID-19 precautions issued by the CDC and all State and local governments shall be followed. The use of masks that cover the nose and mouth is required for all members of the public entering the third floor of the Washington County Courthouse, including the elevator, hallway, and common area. Social distancing (six feet) shall be practiced. All persons entering the district court facilities should wash their hands. People who are ill for any reason shall be restricted from entering any district court facility. The judge assigned to the case has full discretion to prevent any person who appears to be ill or who fail to follow these guidelines from entering or remaining in any courtroom or other district court facility.
9. The court clerks and judges may continue to use email, fax and drop boxes for acceptance written materials, except for emergencies. As directed by the judge assigned to the case, orders that require a judge's signature may be submitted to the Washington County Court Clerk mail, fax (918.337.2897), or by electronic means. Contact the Washington County Court Clerk (918.337.2870) for instructions on filing documents by electronic means. Regarding documents sent by fax or electronically, the original document(s) must be immediately mailed to the Washington County Court for filing at 420 S. Johnstone, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 74003.
10. Courthouse security detail shall have the sole discretion to restrict or prevent ANY person from entering the courthouse, particularly those who appear to be ill or fail to follow the guidelines set forth hereinabove. Furthermore, under no circumstances shall any person be allowed to enter the courthouse who: A.) has been diagnosed with or have direct contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 (coronavirus). B.) has any symptoms such as fever, severe cough, or shortness of breath. C.) has traveled to any country outside the U.S. In the past 14-days, and/or has lived with or have had close contact with any such person. D.) has been quarantined or isolated by any doctor or has been voluntarily quarantined... Any person who falls in one of these categories AND is scheduled for a Court appearance shall contact the Washington County Court Clerk at 918.337.2870 for a new court date.
11. All dispositive order entered by judges between March 16th, 2020 and May 15th, 2020 are presumptively valid and enforceable.

 

To hear the full Community Connection with District Judge Linda Thomas about the courthouse procedures at this time during the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.