Due to the significant surge in COVID-19 cases statewide, the corresponding orders for residents to stay-at-home, and based on an emergency order from the Chief Justice of the State of California, the San Mateo Superior Court has ordered that jury trials be suspended beginning Monday, December 14, and lasting through Friday, January 8, 2021.
The Court has also closed the majority of its Clerk’s Offices to the public and to all walk-in transactions to minimize foot traffic in the court facilities. In addition, the Court is suspending certain types of in-person hearings.
The Court will continue to accept and process electronically filed documents, filings dropped off at on-site drop boxes, and submitted through the mail. Restraining orders will continue to be accepted by the Clerk’s Offices. Phone inquiries will only be answered on a limited basis. The Self-Help Center will maintain remote services to self-represented litigants via the Court’s LiveChat program at http://www.sanmateocourt.org/self_help/.
The Juvenile Clerk’s Office at the Youth Services Center will remain open to the public.
Neal Taniguchi, San Mateo’s Court Executive Officer, stated that “the closures and suspension of services are unfortunate, but are necessary to minimize public interaction and contact, which are the chief risks of community spread of the Coronavirus.” He also noted that staffing shortages due to the State’s budget crisis also necessitated the suspension and diminishment of Clerk’s Office services.
For further information on Court closures and suspension of hearings, please refer to the Court’s website at www.sanmateocourt.org, or contact the Court at (650) 261-5016.
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