Civil and criminal litigators who practice in Hartford Superior Court expressed support—but are concerned about the ripple effects—of an order from Hartford Superior Court Administrative Judge David Sheridan, requiring conference calls and delaying trials for up to three months in the wake of concerns over COVID-19.

In his Wednesday two-page directive, Sheridan ordered that—beginning Friday—all pretrial conferences, status conferences and trial managements conferences would be conducted over the phone until further notice. He also said requests for continuance for up to three months—that are based on legitimate concerns over exposure to the virus—will “be automatically granted.”