Johnson County moves all court hearings, including emergencies, to video or phone
Johnson County District Court on Monday will start holding all hearings remotely in a continued effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, according to a news release issued Friday.
The Kansas Supreme Court canceled all but emergency hearings last week. The Johnson County order goes one step further moving even emergency hearings to video or phone.
Only a judge and administrative assistant will be allowed into the courtrooms, the release said.
“The number of positive cases is escalating at a rapid pace here in our county and throughout the metropolitan area. We cannot jeopardize ourselves or the citizens who would otherwise be in the courtroom for emergency hearings,” Chief Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan said in the release.
Over the last two weeks, the release said, the court has been working with the sheriff’s department to update technology so such a switch is possible.
Starting Monday, Ryan said, hearings using an app called BlueJeans that will allow people to dial in on a phone or video chat on a phone or computer. A room with a computer will be set up at the courthouse for those who don’t have a way to connect remotely at home.
The goal, Ryan said, is to eliminate the need for in person hearings to ensure safety. He said the change will last at least 30 days and that the court is trying to have a consistent rolling plan for operations at least two weeks out.
“At this point I would never say never but we’re trying to make this completely remote,” Ryan said when asked if any hearings would be held in person.
The ruling follows a similar decision on Sunday by the Jackson County court to shift all hearings to remote except in “extreme” circumstances.
Both counties were subject to a joint stay at home order issued by Johnson, Jackson and Wyandotte counties and Kansas City on Saturday.
The order closed all non-essential businesses and ordered residents to only leave their homes for activities essential to the health of themselves and their loved ones.
Each court division will work with litigants provide guidance on conducting remote hearings, the release said. Information is available at courts.jocogov.org.
The courthouse is still open and a “skeleton crew” is performing essential functions, Ryan said.
Requests for protection orders can still be filed and the court’s help center for family law is still active, though all work is being conducted over the phone, Judge Keven O’Grady said.
Johnson County has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Kansas with 66. Last week, testing for the virus was reduced in the county because the disease was determined to be spreading by community transmission rather than solely through travel and connection with confirmed patients.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 12:15 PM.
