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May Standing Orders for COVID-19 and Mass Juvenile Court – Non-Emergency Matters

  • Posted by Alexander Nesson
  • On May 7, 2020

New Filings in Non-Emergency Matters

The recent Standing Order OE-144 has closed courthouses off to the public other than for emergency situations. This order goes into effect May 4, 2020 and will be in effect until at least June 1, 2020.

This is applicable to new filings in non-emergency matters, which should be filed by email, mail, or fax unless otherwise told.

Non-Emergency Virtual Hearings

Temporary Custody Orders, Orders for Anti-Psychotic Medication and Extraordinary Medical Treatment

The recent Standing Order OE-144 has closed courthouses off to the public other than for emergency situations. This order goes into effect May 4, 2020 and will be in effect until at least June 1, 2020.

This may be applied to temporary custody orders, orders for anti-psychotic medication and extraordinary medical treatment. These cases, if set to expire, will be held virtually, according to Mass.gov.

A party may file a motion to bring the matter forward if there are extreme circumstances. If this is you, you must note on the title page of the motion that there are extreme circumstances and that you are hoping to have the motion reviewed before June 1, 2020. The court will decide whether this motion will be permitted or not.

Permanency Hearings and Hearings to Nominate a Custodian (3rd Party Hearings)

The recent Standing Order OE-144 has closed courthouses off to the public other than for emergency situations. This order goes into effect May 4, 2020 and will be in effect until at least June 1, 2020.

This order may be applicable to permanency hearings, which will be held virtually.

It may also be applied to hearings to nominate a custodian (3rd party custody hearings). These hearings may take place virtually if the parties are able to show the court they can meet under the requirements of the court. Hearings where parties aren’t able to demonstrate they can meet the requirements will be held at discretion of the judge, according to Mass.gov.