OAKLAND — Some Alameda County Superior Court functions will resume remotely through video starting next week, including small claims and restraining order hearings.
Starting June 1, the court will resume small claims trials at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland and the Hayward Hall of Justice. The hearings, however, will be heard remotely via an online video platform called BlueJeans. Those involved in the cases will be notified through the court for specifics on access to the platform.
Also starting next week on June 1, the court will be reopening hearings for restraining orders related to civil harassment, elder abuse, gun violence and domestic violence at the same two courthouses. These hearings will similarly be conducted via videoconference. All family law and probate matters will be expanded in the same way.
In-person hearings have been closed to the public since March 17, when the shelter-in-place was ordered for Alameda County.
Since late April, the court has held some non-confidential criminal court proceedings, such as arraignments, through a live audio stream available for the general public. Other criminal hearings, such as the start of trials, have been pushed back since the court’s emergency order went into place in March.
The court’s records department, both civil and criminal, have also been reopened at limited capacity. Those wanting to look up records at the Rene C. Davidson courthouse are being allowed only one person at a time in the criminal office, and two in the civil office, with a time limit of 15 minutes per user. People will only be admitted if they wear a mask or respiratory covering, use hand sanitizer and comply with social distancing directives.
“As the May 31, 2020, expiration of the court’s current emergency order approaches, the court will continue to expand remote opportunities as resource and health and safety constraints permit,” said a statement by the superior court executive office.
