Liberal Municipal Court is reopening for court hearings on June 1, 2020. Multiple changes have been made to protect the public, court employees and other interested parties. The following changes are set out below for the month of June, but are subject to being extended or modified as necessary:
1. First Appearance and Review Dockets. Multiple dockets are being set per day for the month of June in order to reduce the number of people on each docket. First appearance and review dockets are scheduled as follows:
MONDAYS
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
1:00 P.M.
2:00 P.M.
3:00 P.M. Virtual Court
9:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M.
11:00 A.M. Virtual Court
1:00 P.M.
2:00 P.M.
3:00 P.M. Virtual Court
9:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M.
11:00 A.M. Virtual Court
1:00 P.M.
2:00 P.M.
3:00 P.M. Virtual Court
Initial hearings should not be set for virtual court. However, you may request a virtual court hearing, as set out below, in advance of your scheduled hearing.
2. Other Dockets. Additional Friday dockets have been added to address trials, pre-trial hearings, sentencing hearings, revocation hearings, and other contested hearings. Contested hearings will occur on Thursdays and Fridays at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.
3. Court Office Hours. In order to accommodate the added Friday dockets, the municipal court office hours are being adjusted for the month of June. The municipal court will be open from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
4. Courtroom.
The courtroom will be limited to 10 people, including the four to five court employees that are normally in the courtroom while it is in session. Courtroom participants will be admitted on a first come-first served basis.
No one other than defendants, attorneys and other interested parties, as determined by the court, will be allowed in the courtroom. One parent will be allowed to attend court with a juvenile.
Anyone who has COVID-19, or is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, should contact the court to reschedule their hearing. No persons experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will be allowed to enter the courtroom or remain in the building.
Everyone entering the courtroom will be screened for a fever before being allowed to enter the courtroom. If someone has a fever, they will be denied access and given information for rescheduling their hearing.
Most of the chairs will be removed from the courtroom in order to maintain social distancing. Circles will be taped on the floor to indicate where the chairs are to be placed.
All court employees will be wearing gloves and a mask. All defendants and attorneys are encouraged to come to court with similar protection.
If admittance of a defendant into the courtroom would cause the courtroom to exceed 10 people, defendants will be allowed to wait in the lobby, outside, or in their vehicle. Due to the size of the lobby, only five people will be allowed to wait in the lobby. If a defendant is waiting outside, or in their vehicle, the clerks will obtain the defendant’s cell phone number and call them when they can come into the courtroom.
5. Virtual Court. Virtual court hearings using the GoToMeeting application will be set on request. If you wish to attend your hearing via this application, you may email the court at liberalcitycourt@liberalmc.org. Please indicate the docket that you wish to attend. Please provide your name, date of birth and citation number, if you have it. You must have audio and video enabled on the device you are using, a good internet connection and quiet location for the hearing. Additional instructions will be provided if you request a hearing. The public may view/listen to court dockets as well. If you wish to view the dockets, you will need to email the address above and let the clerk know which docket that you wish to watch. Please note that virtual hearings will only be set upon request, so some currently scheduled virtual dockets may not occur.
6. Payments and Questions. Payments may now be made in the lobby of the municipal court. Payments may also be made via mail at 325 N. Washington, P.O. Box 2199, Liberal, KS 67905-2199, via phone at 620-626-0143, or the drop box west of the entry doors of the municipal court. If you have any questions regarding the court’s procedures, please feel free to contact the court at the email or phone number listed above.
We apologize for any inconveniences that these changes may cause. We appreciate everyone’s patience in these trying times.
