By Southern Torch Staff (Chris Pruitt | Wikimedia Commons)

DeKALB COUNTY, Ala. — On Wednesday, Presiding Circuit Judge Jeremy Taylor announced that in-person hearings for the Ninth Judicial Circuit will resume on Tuesday, June 2.

"Since March 13 when the Supreme Court instructed the court system to stop having in-person hearings, except in emergency situations, we have continued to hold hearings at the courthouse using technology, such as Zoom and Skype," stated Taylor. "So, we have been able to handle a significant amount of cases, including criminal, civil, domestic, juvenile, and probate matters even though we have been closed."

This new order applies to Circuit, District, Juvenile, and Probate courts. The resumption of hearings in municipal courts will be determined by the mayor of each municipality.

Taylor cautioned for citizens to be wary of scams involving jury summons between now and August, as it would likely be a scam.

"We cannot hold jury trials until at least September 14, so there are many cases that we cannot finish until the Supreme Court lifts that restriction," he said. "We will not be sending out any jury summons until August at the earliest. No one from the court system itself would ever call you about jury service unless you called us first."

Taylor thanked the DeKalb County Commission, Sheriff's Office, and Emergency Management Agency for helping prepare the courthouse for reopening.

For questions regarding the setting of an individual case, a person should contact their attorney for information. If you do not have an attorney, you can may contact the Circuit Clerk's Office of the office of the judge assigned to the case.