Policy to remain in effect until further notice
Most judicial proceedings for the 8th Judicial District Court will now be done remotely, such as teleconferencing or video conferencing, until further notice, according to a statement released Monday by District Judge Eddie Northcutt.
“As matter of efficiency, single-case proceedings (such as bench trials) may be conducted in-person, or a hybrid process of in-person and remote participation, on a case-by-case basis,” the statement read.
If the proceedings cannot be successfully done remotely, the matter can be held in person. If people have concerns to whether a matter can be done remotely, they can contact Court Coordinator Regina Collins at 903-438-4022 to discuss in-person accommodations.
“Please be prepared to work with the court’s coordinator to reschedule any current settings to a date and time that will facilitate this policy of default remote proceedings,” the statement read. Attorneys should communicate with
Attorneys should communicate with their clients if something has changed with their case.
“We have had several instances where an attorney has waived but failed to inform the client,” the statement read. “The client showed up as previously ordered, often driving very long distances when it was not necessary, unaware that their arraignment had been waived…and that their case had been rescheduled for a pretrial setting at a later date.”
The district clerk’s office, district judge’s office or bail bonding companies will also try to give notice to defendants of rescheduled proceedings.