On December 14, 2020, Chief Justice Cheri Beasley of the North Carolina Supreme Court issued an order postponing all nonessential, in-person court proceedings for (at least) 30 days, including jury trials. The order also renews a number of COVID-related restrictions and protections that had expired, or were set to expire. These include the requirement that most proceedings be conducted remotely, subject to parties’ objections; courthouse entry and filing restrictions; and continued relaxation of oath requirements for verified filings, to name a few.
For North Carolina litigants, this order means that COVID will continue to impact the means and methods of litigation – until at least January 14, 2021. If you have litigation pending in any North Carolina state court, you should view and take note of these restrictions and procedures as they impact every pending case and all other court business. You should also take the additional step of checking for any county-specific restrictions or changes.
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