Tulsa County Courthouse Suspends All In-Person Court Proceedings Due To COVID-19

On Tuesday, big changes will go into effect at the Tulsa County Courthouse due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Court administrators said that starting on Tuesday, all in-person court proceedings will be suspended due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Tulsa County and the surrounding areas.

According to the new order, the suspension will last through January 11.

The order states that daily dockets, custody hearings, and criminal cases are going to continue during this time, but they will happen through video conference.

The order will not impact any juvenile cases at the Family Center for Juvenile Justice. It also does not include eviction proceedings.

Katie Dilks, Executive Director at the Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation, said, "If you don't come to an eviction hearing, a default judgment will be entered against you if you're a tenant, which means you basically already lose."

Tulsa County jury trials will also be suspended and will resume on February 1st of 2020.

Administrators say that throughout the suspension, exceptions will be made for emergencies.