On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania extended all Pennsylvania Court closures from April 14, 2020 to at least April 30, 2020.
Pennsylvania courts – including all Lycoming County Courts – are generally CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC for non-essential functions through April 30, 2020, subject to the general and specific directives and exceptions set forth in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Order of March 18, 2020.
Unless otherwise indicated in the March 18, 2020 Order, all time calculations for purposes of time computation relevant to court cases or other judicial business, as well as time deadlines, are now suspended through April 30, 2020, subject to additional orders. In all events, any legal papers or pleadings required to be filed between March 19, 2020, and April 30, 2020, shall be deemed to have been timely filed if they are filed by May 1, 2020.
The Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas will continue to perform the following essential functions:
a. Emergency bail review and habeas corpus hearings;
b. Gagnon 1 (probation/parole violation) hearings;
c. Bench warrant hearings pursuant to Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 150;
d. Juvenile delinquency detention;
e. Juvenile emergency shelter and detention hearings;
f. Temporary protection from abuse hearings;
g. Emergency petitions for child custody or pursuant to any provision of the Juvenile Act;
h. Emergency petitions for guardianship;
i. Civil mental health reviews (50 P.S. § 7302);
j. Emergency equity civil matters (injunctions and stays);
k. Any pleading or motion relating to public health concerns and involving immediate and irreparable harm
The Lycoming County Magisterial District Courts will continue to perform the following essential functions:
a. Preliminary arraignments (bail setting) for bailable cases;
b. Criminal case filings and subsequent processing;
c. Preliminary hearings for incarcerated persons only;
d. Issuance of search warrants; and
e. Emergency protection from abuse petitions.
No in-person payments will be accepted in the Lycoming County Magisterial District Court Offices until further notice. All payments must be made online at https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/PayOnline.aspx or via U.S. mail.
Questions or concerns should be directed to the Office of the District Court Administrator at 570-327-2330 or to the applicable Magisterial District Court. Lycoming County Court contact information can be found at www.lyco.org.
To read the second supplemental order regarding the statewide judicial emergency, please visit http://www.pacourts.us/assets/files/page-1305/file-8846.pdf.
For more information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on statewide court operations, please visit http://www.pacourts.us/ujs-coronavirus-information.
