8th Amended Press Release Addressing:

  1. Tenth General Order of Presiding Judge Dale Blea, which supersedes the Court’s Eighth General Order
  2. April 20, 2020 Emergency Order for the Madera County Superior Court issued by the Honorable Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice of California and Chair of the Judicial Council
  3. Emergency Rules 8 (Revised) & 13 – Adopted on April 19, 2020 by the Judicial Council of California

Effective immediately, the Presiding Judge of the Madera County Superior Court hereby issues the attached Tenth General Order, dated April 20, 2020.

In addition, to continuously adhere to the directives of State and local public health officials, the following points, recommendations and directives should be considered:

  • Attorneys and litigants are strongly encouraged to file documents by facsimile in civil, probate and family law matters. All facsimile fees will be waived during the timeframe specified in the April 20, 2020 General Order.
  • Attorneys and litigants are strongly encouraged to make court appearances telephonically via Court Call in all case types.
  • Subject to the exercise of judicial discretion, the court will liberally grant hearing continuances upon request and will make best efforts to reduce calendar sizes to minimize health and safety risks.
  • Persons conducting business in the courthouse or appearing in a courtroom must maintain at least six feet of distance between themselves and other persons.
  • The court requests that no one who is ill with symptoms of COVID-19 appear at the courthouse, and that all persons appearing must allow appropriate space between themselves and others when waiting in lines and that they not crowd elevators or other confined areas.
  • Court users and visitors will be asked to wait in hallways, outside courtrooms or other designated areas to help maintain the appropriate social distancing requirement.
  • Attorneys and litigants are reminded that it is your responsibility to keep your contact information, including addresses and telephone numbers, current with the court. This is our only way of contacting you to keep you informed of developments in this fluid and rapidly changing environment. Please regularly check hearing status at the following: https://madera-prod-portal.ecourt.com/publicportal/?q=node/393
  • To reiterate: those who are ill, including attorneys, litigants, justice partners and court staff should remain at home. If you have a matter on calendar, you should contact the court and advise that you will not be appearing due to illness.

It is the stated mission of the Madera County Superior Court to ensure equal and fair access for all to our judicial system. We will endeavor to meet this mission as we confront COVID-19 during this unprecedented and challenging time in our court’s history. While the above measures may result in inconvenience, our overriding responsibility is to the health and safety of jurors, litigants, courthouse visitors, attorneys, justice partners and court staff. These measures are designed to comply with the recommendations of public health officials regarding “best practices” for gatherings and social distancing. We will continue to work closely with public health officials and justice partners as this pandemic develops. Court administration appreciates your patience and understanding during these most challenging times.

View the full notice here.

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