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
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- 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 noteFirst 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').