Live and remote argument protocols at the Court of Appeals.

After hearing some questions from practitioners about the Court’s policy on argument for attorneys who live in states on New York’s Covid-19 Travel Advisory List, we asked the Court about its policy. Many thanks to the Court’s public information officer, who promptly answered our questions with this response:

“The 14-day quarantine is a New York State policy established by the governor and, like everyone else, the Court of Appeals and appellate counsel are obliged to abide by it. The Court has no policy of its own regarding quarantines. Since the Court returned for the September session, it has been holding in-person arguments that comply with health and safety protocols. The Court of Appeals has not adopted any policy on remote arguments. It assumes counsel will appear in person but, if someone were to ask permission to argue remotely, the Court would consider the request.”