Effective immediately: The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has issued COVID-19 General Order No. 20-6, amending COVID-19 General Orders 20-2 through 20-5 to extend certain deadlines addressed therein:   (1) All civil and criminal jury trials currently suspended until May 1, 2020, are hereby further suspended until August 1, 2020, and will be reset by each presiding judge. Those continuances do not continue any pending deadlines other than the trial dates. Attorneys should contact the presiding judges in their continued cases if they seek to modify such other deadlines.    (2) With respect to other matters requiring in-person appearances, including bench trials, hearings, conferences or other proceedings in either civil or criminal matters between the date of this order and August 1, 2020, counsel must contact the presiding judge's chambers to determine whether and how the matter will proceed.    (3) All grand jury proceedings in this District are suspended until August 1, 2020, subject to change upon motion from the government and further orders of the Court.   (4) With regard to criminal matters, the time period of the postponements implemented by this administrative order will be excluded under the Speedy Trial Act, as the Court specifically finds that the ends of justice served by ordering the postponements outweigh the best interest of the public and any defendant's right to a speedy trial, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(A).   (5) All events involving the Court or scheduled to be held in the courthouse that are not case-specific, including, but not limited to, continuing legal education courses, public tours, Inns of Court meetings, and naturalization ceremonies conducted by the Court, which are scheduled to occur between May 1, 2020 and August 1, 2020, are hereby cancelled and will be rescheduled when appropriate.  Please see the Eastern District of Louisiana website, www.laed.uscourts.gov, for additional information and for updates. View this PDF.

In response to the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the United States, the Congress has passed and the President has signed into law the CARES Act, H.R. 748, which authorizes the use of video and telephone conferencing, under certain circumstances and with the consent of the defendant, for a number of criminal proceedings during the COVID-19 emergency. The Judicial Conference of the United States has adopted a finding that emergency conditions exist that materially affect the functioning of the federal court generally. To facilitate the use of the emergency procedures authorized by the CARES Act, the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has issued COVID-19 General Order No. 20-4 for the Court.  The public is encouraged to visit the Courts website, www.laed.uscourts.gov, often for additional information and for updates.  View this PDF.

Due to concerns regarding COVID-19, until May 1, 2020, the Clerk’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will not accept sealed documents on paper for filing. Sealed documents should be submitted by email to the Court at sealeddocs@laed.uscourts.gov.  Please use the encrypted “Send Securely” option  in your email if available. Documents should be in PDF format and include an electronic signature of the attorney filing it. Non-sealed pleadings should not be submitted to this email box.  Non-sealed pleadings must be submitted for filing through CM/ECF, the court’s electronic filing system.   Until May 1, 2020, unrepresented parties, including individuals who are incarcerated, may fax pleadings to 504-310-8159 or email pleadings to prosedocs@laed.uscourts.gov.  If additional information is required, the Clerk’s Office will contact the filer by email.   

Effective immediately: In response to the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), to combat the spread of the disease, given the severity of risks posed to the public, Court staff, and other Court agencies, and considering the public health recommendations from the CDC, the Eastern District of Louisiana issued COVID-19 General Order No. 20-2. The order    (1) continues all civil and criminal bench and jury trials until May 1, 2020, to a date to be reset by each presiding judge, but does not continue any other pending deadlines;    (2) continues all civil and criminal in-person hearings, proceedings, and conferences until May 1, 2020, to be reset by each presiding judge;    (3) suspends all grand jury proceedings until May 1, 2020;    (4) issues findings pursuant to the Speedy Trial Act;    (5) indicates that criminal matters before magistrate judges will continue in the ordinary course but may be held by video conferencing if available;    (6) cancels naturalization ceremonies, CLE programs, and all events in the courthouse that are not case-specific until May 1, 2020, and    (7) requires that, beginning March 18, 2020, all attorney admissions be handled by motion and order.  Please see the Eastern District of Louisiana website, www.laed.uscourts.gov, for additional information and for updates. View this PDF.