Mar 20, 2020 3 min read

Sheriff’s deputies will be asking people arriving at the Washington County courthouse why they’re there, and from today through April 3, only someone with business deemed essential by the state Supreme Court will be admitted.

Don’t come to the Washington County Courthouse to apply for a marriage license, because, Register of Wills James Roman pointed out, it’s not listed by the state Supreme Court among essential matters.

“We are scaling back in an effort to keep social distance,” said Washington County Court Administrator Patrick Grimm. “It’s just about as closed as you can make it, constitutionally.”

Late Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued an order for courts in the state be closed, with some exceptions, to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The court order states that the courts should be closed until April 3, other than essential proceedings.

Any evictions due to a failure to make rent or loan payments will be delayed until that date.

Essential functions include emergency bail review, bench warrant hearings, juvenile delinquency detention, juvenile emergency shelter and detention hearings, temporary protection from abuse hearings, emergency petitions for child custody, emergency petitions for guardianship and civil mental health reviews.

Magisterial district courts will be able to continue preliminary arraignments for setting bail, criminal case filings, preliminary hearings only for incarcerated people, issuance of search warrants and emergency protection from abuse petitions.

In Greene County, District Court Administrator Sheila Rode said prior to the court order, the only scheduled jury trial for this week was postponed on Monday.

“With the proximity of jurors, we determined it was the best thing to continue the jury trial,” Rode said.

In both counties, courthouse offices will be staffed.

Residents are encouraged to email or call in advance. Filing offices will continue to accept mail delivered by the postal service.

“Depending what an individual is trying to do, he or she may not be permitted inside the facility,” Grimm said. In Washington, a bin or box for dropped-off documents will be provided.

Rode added that arrangements can be made for anyone who has a need to physically come to a specific office.

The next jury selection in Greene County is scheduled for April 8, though Rode says that is subject to change.

How to staff an office will be up to elected officeholders.

Roman, for example, said one staffer will be assigned per day, and he plans to be in and out of the register of wills office, where he is also the clerk of orphan’s court.

Brides-to-be and their bridegrooms who have already applied for marriage licenses will be mailed the document.

“If they expire, we’re willing to renew them without charging them,” Roman said of the licenses. As he previously announced, inheritance tax payments can be mailed to the office at 1 S. Main St., Washington, Pa., 15301.

Emergency guardianships handled by his office are among the essential services enumerated by the state Supreme Court.

Washington County residents who were summoned for jury duty the week of April 13 should not appear. Court officials have not decided if they will substitute another week for jury service or if the jurors should consider their service complete.

“We will communicate that information to those jurors,” Grimm said.

In Washington, the law library will close.

“We’ve closed before for maybe a day,” Grimm said. “I’m not aware of a situation like this in Washington before.

“We’re all in some uncharted water there in terms of scheduling this magnitude.”