La. 5th Circuit guidelines for practice and courthouse entry

In a letter to the La. State Bar Association president, the Louisiana Fifth Circuit has provided information about its implementation of Governor Edwards’s orders issued yesterday, 58 JBE 2020 and 59 JBE 2020. You can download a copy of the letter by following this link. Here are some of the letter’s highlights:

• The Fifth Circuit courthouse is scheduled to reopen on Monday, May 18, at 8:30 a.m. But anyone entering the building will be required to wear a facemask, answer some health questions, and possibly have their temperature taken. One inside, everyone will have to follow social-distancing guidelines, which are described in the letter.
• The court intends to allow some leeway in filings once the governor’s suspension of legal deadlines has ended (the current suspension runs through Friday, June 5). Anticipating a rush of filings on Monday, June 8, the court “intend[s] for the period of time from June 8th through June 26 to act as a ‘bridge’, and that rigid adherence will not be expected or required by anyone who should have filed during the period of suspension to get things into court on that first available date, which would be Monday June 8th.” But the court cautions that this leeway applies “only to filings being submitted according to the Local Rules of the 5th Circuit. We do not have authority to extend statutory deadlines, so please, when filing writs or notices of appeal, you must continue to adhere to the codal provisions and deadlines that apply to those types of filings.”
• The court will continue encouraging remote filings by waiving the $50 convenience fee for e-filing through June 26 and continuing to accept fax filings through the end of June. Parties may also file by mail.

This is just a quick summary of parts of the court’s letter. If you practice in the Louisiana Fifth Circuit, you should read the entire letter.