According to a letter circulated by the Washoe County Bar Association from Chief Judge Shelly T. O’Neill, the Reno Municipal Court will begin holding a limited schedule for in-person trials on March 22, 2021.
Under the limited reopening, two judges and their staff will rotate weeks in operation. Courtrooms will be open on different floors for use by attorneys, clients and witnesses. The rotation will include a 10-day quarantine of each department, in the event of any exposure.
According to the letter: “All mandatory safety precautions will remain in place, including masks, social distancing and limited attendance in the courts to individualized matters. Only attorneys, their clients and witnesses who will testify at trial, will be allowed within the building. Our Marshall’s Division will supervise the required social distancing by attendees. Each attorney will be responsible for sanitizing their area subsequent to their appearance.”
Upcoming Trial Schedule:
- March 22 – March 25: Dept. 1 and Dept. 4* Judge Drakulich, Courtroom C; Judge Hazlett-Stevens, Courtroom A
*Note- Judge O’Neill will cover Monday, March 22 for Dept. 4 and a Pro-Temp will cover Judge O’Neill’s traffic calendar.
- March 29 – April 1: Dept. 3 and Dept. 2 Judge Nash-Holmes, Courtroom D; Judge O’Neill, Courtroom B
All other matters will continue to be conducted using the Zoom app – including traffic, bail-outs and prisoner videos.