This afternoon the Federal Circuit issued an “Updated Public Advisory Concerning the Federal Circuit’s April 2020 Sitting.” In it, the court announced it is converting all remaining oral arguments still scheduled for April to telephonic hearings. Here are the details.
In the announcement, the Federal Circuit said that, in light of “current public health guidance and efforts to continue to minimize community transmission of COVID-19 within Washington, D.C. and the National Capital Region, the court has decided that all cases scheduled for argument during the April 2020 sitting will now be conducted by telephonic conference and no in-person hearings will be held.” The court also said that “[p]arties in all cases previously advised that in-person argument will receive an updated notice in their respective cases.”
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of two prior announcements in the past week, one announcing the cancellation of many of April’s oral arguments and another largely closing the National Courts Building to the public.