Inclement weather and court house closings – It’s that time of year again. With the cold weather finally upon us, we thought we would write a blog about how to stay up to date on court closings in the event of inclement weather.
Will the court house close for snow?
Sometimes. Typically, Mecklenburg County Courts follow the Mecklenburg County School District determination thereafter. This is a rule of thumb, however, and it is important to note that Mecklenburg County Courts do not allows follow day one of Mecklenburg County School District closings. Luckily, North Carolina state courts post inclement weather closings here, so you can always check for yourself to find out definitively whether you have court.
I’m trying to call my attorney to find out if I have court and they won’t answer.
First, always make sure to leave a message when contacting your attorney. Most attorneys don’t blindly call back missed phone calls without a message attached to them. Second, if you have made multiple attempts to contact your attorney during normal business hours, have left a message, and still cannot get a hold of your attorney, that’s okay. If there is inclement weather, your attorney probably has opted to heed the safety warnings just like you and may not be in the office in the event of inclement weather. But rest assured, this information is easily accessible by visiting the NC Courts website here.
The court house is not closed, but it is dangerous for me to drive. What do I do?
If you truly cannot drive due to inclement weather, then you should not drive. Your safety should come first. The good news is, if the court house is not closed, your attorney probably has also gone into work. So, you can call you attorney and let them know about your situation. In most counties, if an attorney is able to give a valid reason for a missed court date and can support that reason with evidence, the attorney can work to prevent you from getting an order for arrest issues. Remember though, your attorney cannot help you if he or she doesn’t know what is going on.
What about hurricanes?
The same rules apply for hurricanes or any other forms of inclement weather or emergencies. Information regarding courthouse closures can be accessed on the NC Courts website here.
How do I find out what date my court date has been rescheduled for?
You can call your attorney. You will need to give them some time, however, because it will take some time for the court date to be rescheduled, for it to be updated in the system, and for you attorney to become aware of the court date. You can relax though because your court date is going to be pushed out. You will not have court the next week. It will likely be at least a month after the previously scheduled court date and will likely be even further out than that.
If you do not want to wait for your attorney to give you notice, then that’s okay too. If your canceled court date was a criminal court date, you can check on your new court date yourself online. Criminal court dates will be updated in the AOC system, and you will be able to access it. So, feel free to check on your next criminal court date yourself by clicking here to manually look it up or here to sign up for updates. For more information on finding out when your next criminal court date is, click here.
If you have been charged with a crime in North Carolina or South Carolina, contact us to discuss your options.