Idaho Supreme Court updates COVID-19 precautions in local courthouses
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho’s judicial districts have further control to tailor COVID-19 precautions in their counties to match local conditions under an order issued Thursday by the Idaho Supreme Court.
The order takes certain COVID-19 precautions the Court previously directed statewide and places them largely at the discretion of the local administrative district judge — depending on the incidence rate of COVID-19 in each county. Idaho is divided into seven judicial districts, each overseen by an administrative judge.
If a county’s seven-day moving average incidence rate of confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19 reaches 25 or more cases per 100,000 population, courthouse visitors in that county must wear masks and maintain social distancing, the order states.
The order maintains some previous actions ordered by the Court, including a requirement to livestream any court hearings for which the public cannot be physically present. Judges continue to have flexibility to order masking or the use of remote proceedings as necessary, and no juror can be asked or required to remove a mask against their wishes.
“The Court continues to monitor the data and information related to the coronavirus, COVID-19, and its variants, and will adjust court operations orders as becomes prudent with the changing circumstances,” the order states.
Today’s order replaces a previous emergency order issued May 20, 2021. The new order can be found on the Idaho Supreme Court’s homepage under “State Judicial Emergency Orders Regarding COVID-19.”
