UPDATED June 9, 2021

Pursuant to General Order 21-14 in accordance with the recommendation of the Court's Ad Hoc Committee on Gating Criteria as approved by the Court’s Pandemic Executive Team, approved at a meeting of the Judges on June 2, 2021, General Order No. 20-17 be amended by striking

(6) All visitors to each of the above-referenced Courthouses (including but not limited to jurors or potential jurors, contractors, Naturalization petitioners, and attorneys) and employees are required to wear facial coverings (i.e., face masks) to gain admittance to the Courthouse and must wear said facial coverings in the public common areas of the Courthouses, including restrooms and break rooms.

and inserting in lieu thereof:

(6) All visitors to each of the above-referenced Courthouses (including but not limited to jurors or potential jurors, contractors, Naturalization petitioners, and attorneys) are required to wear facial coverings (i.e., face masks) to gain admittance to the Courthouse and must wear said facial coverings in the public common areas of the Courthouses, including restrooms and break rooms, unless they affirmatively represent to a court security officer upon entering the building that they have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.  Persons exempt from facial coverings under this paragraph are also exempt from the social distancing requirements imposed by this General Order.  At his or her discretion, a judge presiding at any in-court proceeding may require facial coverings, including masks, and social distancing, during those proceedings

Pursuant to General Order 21-10 and General Order 21-11 in accordance with the April 16, 2021, recommendation of the Court’s Ad Hoc Committee on Gating Criteria, and the revised Reconstitution Plan and revised Resumption of Jury Trials Plan, all as approved by the Court at a Judges’ meeting on  April 26, 2021:

1. Effective Monday, May 3, 2021, the federal courthouses in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton shall be open for all proceedings, including in-court proceedings.
    
2. All jury trials, whether criminal or civil, shall be held in courtrooms outfitted with plexiglass shielding.
    
3. For all other non-jury matters which the presiding judge determines should be conducted in open court, the judge shall attempt to schedule such proceeding in a plexiglass-shielded courtroom, but has discretion to proceed in a non-plexiglass-shielded courtroom if no plexiglass-shielded courtroom is available and the proceeding cannot be delayed until a plexiglass-shielded courtroom becomes available.  If the judge  proceeds in the non-plexiglass-shielded courtroom, social distancing as set forth in the Reconstitution Plan shall be observed.
    
4. All judges are encouraged, to the maximum extent feasible, to continue to conduct proceedings by videoconferencing.  This particularly applies to preliminary proceedings in criminal cases conducted by Magistrate Judges so as to minimize traffic in the courthouses, consistent with public health standards, and to reduce demand on the strained resources of the United States Marshal’s Service.

In addition, the requirements set forth in General Order 21-12 relating to video teleconferencing for criminal proceedings remain in full force and effect.

For all other General Orders issued during the pandemic, please refer to the General Orders link below.

For all other matters or questions, please contact the Clerk’s Office at (614) 719-3000 (Columbus), (513) 564-7500 (Cincinnati), or (937) 512-1400 (Dayton).