Texas Supreme Court COVID-19 Emergency Order

The Texas Supreme Court issued its 47th Emergency Order of the COVID-19 pandemic on January 19. In it, the court renews and amends its 45th Emergency Order to:

• Permit all Texas courts to use video and teleconferencing methods in civil and criminal cases through April 1, 2022;

• Allow justice and municipal courts to suspend or modify trial-related and pretrial hearing deadlines through March 1, 2022;

• Urge justice and municipal courts to “move swiftly to return to regular pretrial and trial proceedings as soon as reasonably feasible before March 1, 2022;”

• Continue the authority of courts to modify certain procedures and deadlines in child-protection cases; and

• Allow courts to continue to use reasonable efforts to hold proceedings remotely with certain exceptions or actions required.