Derby court to reopen next month, Norwalk remains closed

HARTFORD — The state Judicial Branch announced Friday it will be reopening the Derby courthouse next month, although the Norwalk court will remain closed.

“As more and more COVID restrictions are being lifted or modified and as more and more Connecticut residents are being vaccinated against the virus, the Judicial Branch is now in a position to cautiously and incrementally move forward with plans to further increase the scope and volume of judicial business being conducted by its judges and employees,” said Chief Court Administrator Patrick L. Carroll III.

The courthouse at 106 Elizabeth St. in Derby and the courthouse at 17 Belden Ave. in Norwalk have been closed since March 2020 because of the pandemic.

Norwalk cases continue to be processed in the Stamford courthouse, judicial officials said. Conditions at the Norwalk court will continue to be monitored and further operational decisions regarding that court will be reassessed as warranted in the coming weeks and months, they said.

Carroll stated that the Derby court will reopen May 17 along with closed courts in New London, Manchester, Putnam and

Rockville.

“This is a welcome signal from Judicial that court operations are ready to expand and the backlog of cases can be managed while keeping the public, attorneys and staff safe. I hope that jury trials are not far behind,” said Frank J. Riccio II, president of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Carroll said Judicial Branch facilities’ personnel are currently conducting safety inspections in courthouses where operations have been suspended, and making modifications to the facilities to allow for a safe, socially distanced return of courthouse staff and judges.

He said in addition to facility safety enhancements, plans are also underway to expand the scope and volume of criminal dockets in all open (Geographical Area) courthouses by summoning, on a staggered basis throughout the court day, a larger number of the cases that are currently pending on the docket.

“Doing so will allow judges, working with the state’s attorneys and defense counsel, an opportunity to reduce the backlog of cases pending on the criminal dockets,” Carroll said.

He added the branch’s goal is to safely return to near normal operations over the next few months.