Chief justice: NC courts freeze likely for months

A number of routine court operations are on hold, and they have been since March to cut down on foot traffic and large gatherings in courthouses around the state. Beasley named a task force Thursday to plan for some sort of reopening, but she cautioned judges in a memo that it's going to take a while.

“It is clear that we will not be in a position to resume normal functioning of our court system for at least several months, and possibly into the fall,” Beasley said in the letter and in a press release announcing the task force.

“However, we also know that we cannot continue indefinitely with so many of our court functions frozen in time," she wrote. "We must begin to plan to provide a greater level of service to the public while still protecting the health and safety of all who work in and visit our county courthouses.”

Beasley told judges in her letter that she knows they're anxious to plan court sessions for June but that it's not realistic to expect jury trials.

"At this time, we do not believe it will be possible to safely convene jury trials or high-volume court sessions that would bring large crowds to courthouses during the month of June and would encourage you to plan accordingly," she wrote. "Rotation of Superior Court judges will be suspended for the fall term, and all Superior Court judges will be assigned to their home districts."

More updates will come this month, Beasley wrote.

Her order also extended deadlines to pay most fines and fees by 90 days and directed court clerks not to report unpaid court debts to the state Division of Motor Vehicles, which means driver's licenses won't be suspended for non-payment.