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Court Announcements and News: 2020

Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel today signed an Order continuing all trials until further order of the Court, but no earlier than March 15, 2021. Persons may continue to enter the lobbies of both the Eagleton and Limbaugh Courthouses to access services...
December 15, 2020
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is issuing a proposed local rule for public comment, after input from several sources and review by the Court’s Federal Practice Committee and the Court. The proposal is a...
December 11, 2020
Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel signed two Orders today concerning the Court’s ongoing response to COVID. One Order extends the Court’s remote proceedings authorization under the CARES Act and extends the Court’s previous Speedy Trial Act waiver...
November 23, 2020
The Clerk’s Office for both the Eagleton and Limbaugh Courthouses will be closed to in-person business through close of business Wednesday, November 25, 2020 (Thursday and Friday November 26 and 27 are previously-scheduled holidays). These office...
November 13, 2020
The US District Court – Eastern MO will limit in-person proceedings to criminal hearings or trials where an in-person appearance is necessary, for the remainder of 2020. Civil jury trials will all be postponed until 2021 unless there is a very...
November 6, 2020
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri has released contact and filing information for any emergency election-related cases, until Election Day. The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri has...
October 21, 2020
To celebrate Bill of Rights Day, U.S. Courts throughout the Seventh and Eighth Circuits are hosting a student contest with a grand prize of $500 Contest deadline is Oct 31.
October 15, 2020
Registration has opened for the Court’s ADR Court-Certified Neutrals Webinar. Attendance will satisfy the mandatory hours of accredited continuing legal education for Court-certified neutrals of the Eastern District as set forth in Local Rule 6.03(A...
September 21, 2020
The United States Courts join with the nation in mourning the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her enduring commitment to justice will remain as a lasting legacy to the federal judiciary and the nation. Read the tributes of the Supreme Court...
September 21, 2020
The US District Court – Eastern Missouri is participating in a YouTube audio-only livestreaming pilot in civil cases where both parties consent to the livestream. The first case for the pilot will be a status hearing in the ongoing case of US v....
September 17, 2020
Identifying a survivor of intimate partner violence isn’t as simple as looking for black eyes and bruises. Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive and assaultive behaviors abusers use to control their intimate partners. Join our panel of judges...
September 17, 2020
Registration for the 2020 Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Webinar is open. Attendance for this training is mandatory for CJA Panel and Mentee Attorneys for the Eastern District of Missouri.  Other attorneys who practice in the field of federal criminal...
September 9, 2020
Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel signed an Order today, September 4, 2020 allowing public entry into all Eastern District courthouses, with social distancing standards throughout the building and additional public health and safety restrictions as...
September 4, 2020
Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel signed an order today, September 1, 2020, allowing the continued use of audio and video conferencing when ordered by the Judge presiding in the case. In-person jury trials and other in-person hearings are authorized, but...
September 1, 2020
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the Federal Public Defender Offices of the Eastern District of Missouri and the Southern District of Illinois are pleased to announce the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Webinar to be held...
August 10, 2020
At 10:30 am today, August 6, 2020, Matthew T. Schelp was sworn in by Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel as the Eastern District’s newest United States District Judge. As noted in the news release announcing his confirmation by the United States Senate in...
August 6, 2020
At 3pm today, August 3, 2020, Stephen R. Welby was sworn in by Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel as the Eastern District’s newest United States Magistrate Judge. As noted in the news release announcing his selection in February, Judge Welby served as the...
August 3, 2020
Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel today signed an Order extending the Court’s limited in-person and limited jury trial status through September 7, also extending the Court’s Speedy Trial Act waiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous Order had...
July 30, 2020
After being closed Monday July 13 in order to identify and quarantine all personnel related to a positive test of a Court Security Officer for COVID-19, the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse will return to its prior limited-reopened state tomorrow,...
July 13, 2020
Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel today entered an Order extending his prior Order of May 29, 2020 re. Case Operations allowing for video proceedings in a number of cases and limited in-person hearings when necessary, while also allowing for the...
July 6, 2020
(updated 02/09/2023) Due to the ongoing crisis with respect to the coronavirus pandemic, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri has updated the procedures for members of the public or media to access criminal...
June 12, 2020
The Court’s 2020 Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Application Process remains open through July 6, 2020. Dependent on experience, attorneys who wish to serve as appointed contract counsel on criminal cases may apply to be members of the CJA Panel or the...
June 12, 2020
Today Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel signed the following Order extending authorization for remote hearings whenever possible for 90 days, unless otherwise directed by a Judge in a particular case. This authorization is for all proceedings including...
May 29, 2020
Through its Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Plan, the Court's 2020 CJA Application Process is open. Dependent on experience, attorneys who wish to serve as appointed contract counsel on criminal cases may apply to be members of the CJA Panel or the CJA...
May 20, 2020
With great sadness, we share the news that former U.S. Attorney Steve Higgins passed away yesterday. Steve will be missed and always remembered for his legal acumen and service to his country. Steve not only served as United States Attorney for the...
May 12, 2020
Today Judge Stephen R. Clark entered the following Order  in SH3 Health v. Page, 4:20cv605 SRC
May 8, 2020
Per Order of Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel, the Court has extended its suspension of jury trials in all divisions through July 5, 2020. All prior Orders of the Court related to COVID-19 remain in effect, including the Orders dated March 17, 2020 and...
May 8, 2020
Today, Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel signed the Order and issued the Form Motion attached below, creating a process for combined pleas and sentencings during the pendency of the COVID-19 pandemic, in cases when the parties have finalized a plea...
April 29, 2020
The Honorable Charles A. Shaw, Senior United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020. He is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Kathleen I. Shaw, their son, Dr. Bryan I. Shaw,...
April 13, 2020
To allow Self-Represented Litigants (SRLs) direct access to the Court during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri has developed a direct email box for use by Self-Represented Litigants to...
April 9, 2020
Today Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel issued the following Order allowing for expanded use of videoconferencing, or teleconferencing when video is not available, in pretrial criminal matters, pleas, and sentencings as authorized under emergency...
March 30, 2020
In an Order dated March 23, 2020, Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel issued further restrictions to entry in Missouri-Eastern courthouses. The Court and all other agencies in the building are open, but public entry is now restricted to the main lobby on...
March 23, 2020
In an Order signed today by Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel, the Court suspended all requirements related to in-person participation in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) under Local Rule 6.02(C) in order to allow for ADR to take place by any remote...
March 18, 2020
In addition to its Order last Friday which can be found HERE , Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel today ordered the following measures in response to COVID-19: The United States Courthouses located within the District shall remain open, but office hours...
March 17, 2020
Payment of criminal debt including special assessments, restitution and fines may be mailed to the U.S. District Court in place of making a payment in person. Payments in the form of checks and money orders may be mailed to: U.S. District Court,...
March 16, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control has advised people to take precautions in light of the COVID-19 virus outbreak and noted that the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Therefore, effective immediately, per order of...
March 13, 2020
On February 12, 2020, the United States Senate confirmed Matthew T. Schelp as the next District Judge for Eastern District of Missouri. Schelp will begin his tenure as a District Judge immediately after District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. takes...
February 14, 2020
Chief Judge Rodney W. Sippel announced today that the District Judges for the United States District Court have selected Stephen R. Welby as the Court’s next United States Magistrate Judge. The selection was made from nominees submitted by a Merit...
February 7, 2020
Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri released its January 2020 report, detailing court activity from July-December 2019 and previewing activity for January-June 2020.
January 27, 2020
The U.S. District Court is pleased to announce the following seminars to be held in 2020 for federal practitioners. Pro Bono Services Training / Recognition Ceremony – Wednesday, April 8, 2020, at the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse in St. Louis,...
January 15, 2020
The St. Louis and Southern Illinois Chapters of the Federal Bar Association will host A View from the Bench: Perspectives on Professionalism and Advocacy from a Panel of Federal Judges at the Eagleton Courthouse on January 30, 2020 at 4 p.m. This...
January 9, 2020
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., has issued his 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary (pdf). This is the 15th report Chief Justice Roberts has issued since he was appointed chief justice in 2005. For reports from previous years, visit the...
January 9, 2020