Many federal court hearings postponed until May 1

Federal Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky, which includes London, has been ordered closed until May 1.

In an ordered filed March 23, U.S. District Court Judge Danny C. Reeves, ordered that all scheduled hearing through May 1 be continued.

The order includes all motion hearings, change of plea hearings and sentencings. Assigned judges are to issue orders rescheduling each case.

Reeves did give judges the option to hold the hearings via telephone, video conference, or other means.

“This general order does not apply to any ongoing trials, which, at the discretion of the presiding judge, may proceed or be continued as he or she deems appropriate,” Reeves stated in the order.

In addition, Reeves stated that initial appearances on indictments and complaints, as well as hearings related to violation of pretrial, supervised release or probation, and detention hearings should proceed via remote attendance when possible.

Also affected by the order are naturalization ceremonies, and settlement conferences.

“The Courthouses in this district remain open for mission-critical function of the judiciary, but the public and members of the bar are directed to come to the courthouses only as necessary for official court-related activities, including case filings that cannot be submitted electronically, attendance for in-person criminal hearings and similar appearances,” Reeves stated adding that the courthouses will have amended hours of 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.