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Ex. AGY-ST-COURTS-024 Order Primary source read

Administrative Order No. 3: Statewide Judiciary Restricted Operations and the Temporary Suspension of Statutes of Limitations, Filing Deadlines and Notarization Requirements in All Courts

All courthouses and administrative offices closed to the public from March 23 to April 15, 2020; essential matters only, remotely where possible; statutes of limitation, filing deadlines and notarization requirements suspended

Supreme Court of Delaware (Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr.) · Supreme Court of the State of Delaware (statewide) (Court)

The COVID Project

The record

Jurisdiction
Supreme Court of the State of Delaware (statewide) · Delaware
Level
Court
Authority
Del. Const. art. IV, § 13 (Chief Justice 'administrative head of all the Courts in the State'); 10 Del. C. § 2004
Issued
2020-03-22 Mar. 22, 2020
Effective
2020-03-23
End
2020-04-15 as written; closure extended to May 14 (AO No. 4), June 13 (AO No. 6) and lifted in phases from June 8 and 15, 2020 (AO No. 7, Ex. AGY-ST-COURTS-048); the sworn-declaration suspension continued 'in effect' through AO No. 22 (July 13, 2021) (read as 2020-04-15)
In force
Mar. 23, 2020 to Apr. 15, 2020
Quarters
2020 Q2
Limitation types
Business closureTelework mandateCourts and public offices
Addressees
  • all Delaware courts and judicial branch personnel
  • litigants, counsel and the public
  • notaries and filers
Functions reached
  • CT courts and agencies (courthouses closed to the public; deadlines and limitations suspended)
  • CL closings (notarization requirements suspended)
  • SV servicing and collections (civil dockets halted)
  • PM property management (eviction and ejectment dockets halted)
  • DM titles and records (Prothonotary and Register in Chancery public access closed)
  • OF office (judicial employees ordered to work remotely)
Collection
State courts AGY-ST-COURTS

Operative words

1. All courthouses and their administrative offices in the State of Delaware are closed to the public beginning March 23, 2020 until April 15, 2020 or further order of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware. Access to the State courthouses is restricted to identified personnel and emergency and essential hearings and operations; 2. Each state court shall have sufficient judicial officers and staff to hear emergency and essential matters in person or remotely through video or teleconferencing during the pendency of this Order; 3.... Other judicial branch personnel shall not report to the courthouses until further notice. Instead, other judicial branch personnel shall work remotely

Enforcement

10 Del. C. §§ 2004-2009; Del. Const. art. IV, § 13

Notes

The lead Delaware instrument: a statewide courthouse closure with a suspension of statutes of limitations and notarization rules in every court, including the Court of Chancery on which national corporate transactions depend.

Retrieval note

First two pages read; the suspension of statutes of limitations and notarization requirements appears in the caption and is confirmed by AO Nos. 9, 11, 21 and 22 ('Administrative Order No. 3 regarding the suspension of any requirements for sworn declarations... will remain in effect').