Judiciary Seeks Comments on Proposed Emergency Rules Change

The federal judiciary asked the public on Friday to weigh in on proposed changes that would allow courts to continue operations during a future emergency.

The biggest change would give the Judicial Conference the sole ability to declare a “rules emergency” when “extraordinary circumstances relating to public health or safety, or affecting physical or electronic access to a court, substantially impair the court’s ability to perform its functions in compliance with these rules.”

The declaration must generally specify which rules are subject to change and may last no more than 90 days. The Judicial Conference, the policy making arm of ...