(MURFREESBORO) Rutherford County Courts will reopen Monday (5/4/2020). Judges in Rutherford and Cannon Counties gained permission from the Tennessee Supreme Court to reopen court hearings Monday under strict safety guidelines.

Persons indicted by the March grand jury are scheduled to be arraigned in court this Monday. They will be screened and directed to the appropriate courtroom. Monitors at each courtroom will be present to admit the first ten people into the courtroom and direct remaining defendants to an appropriate waiting area.

Persons cited to Rutherford County General Sessions Court on May 4 should arrive at the Judicial Building at 8:30AM. Only defendants and their attorneys will be admitted into the building.

Expect Long Waits

Expect longer lines because of the pre-screening and physical distancing spaces at both the Rutherford County Judicial Center and the Rutherford County Juvenile Justice Center.

The temperature of each person will be checked before they are allowed to enter. If it is 100.4 or above, that individual will not be allowed inside. In addition, no children will be permitted in the Judicial Center unless requested by the judge.

A deputy and clerk will verify if the person entering the building has a case that day.

Deputies assigned to the Judicial Building will:

• Ask people to stand at the taped marked areas 6 feet apart before entering the building.
• Stand at the marked areas 6 feet apart while entering the building.
• Allow people to go through the screening process one at a time while standing 6 feet apart.
• Make hand sanitizer available.

Distancing Mandated

Once screened, people in General Sessions Court will be asked to use the elevator or steps if they are physically able. Only three people will be allowed in an elevator and they must stand on specifically marked spaces.

In the courtrooms, tape will mark a 6-foot distance for people to sit. All courtrooms will be limited to 10 people, except the judge, court personnel and deputies.

At the Juvenile Justice Center, people who have a case must provide a cell phone number. They will wait outside the entrance or in their vehicle.

While in the lobby, a deputy will direct people to a chair until their case is heard.

Judicial officials ask that everyone be patient while waiting their time in court.