AGAIN?! WEATHER CLOSES APPELLATE COURTS
[Posted March 3, 2014] If youre hurrying to make todays filing deadline in the Fourth Circuit or Virginias appellate courts, youve got a reprieve due to our old pal Aeolus. Todays winter storm, which The Weather Channel has dubbed Titan, has closed all three courts today. This closure triggers an automatic extension of appellate-court filing deadlines.
Ive given this warning twice in recent weeks, but its important enough to warrant a reiteration: This extension only applies to documents that must be filed in the appellate court’s clerks office. A good example is a petition for appeal or a merits brief. But if you have to file something in a trial court clerks office (the usual ones are a notice of appeal, transcript, or appeal bond) and your deadline is today, you must ascertain whether your local court is open today. If it is, then your deadline is unaffected by the decisions made in Richmond this morning.
It was only about 16-17 hours ago that I was driving in my Mustang with the air conditioner on. Now even balmy Tidewater is bracing for a huge drop in temperatures and icy roads. I suppose I need to go back and make a sacrificial offering to Aeolus, to appease his wrath.
