A bail denial ruling from the Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas deals with a question on the minds of attorneys and their clients everywhere in the time of the coronavirus pandemic: What happens to people who are stuck in jail without a trial when the courts are shut down?

It depends, according to the reasoning in Judge David Williamson’s March 18 opinion—on the seriousness of the charges, on the cause of the delay and on whether the court in question has a continuing judicial emergency order in place.