WEATHER SHUTTERS APPELLATE COURTHOUSES

(Posted January 3, 2022) On this first business day of the year and the first day of a wholly revamped appellate system in Virginia, Boreas has intervened. Heavy, wet snowfall in central Virginia has forced the state and federal appellate courts in Richmond to close for the day. This means that any appellate deadlines that would have expired today are automatically extended unto tomorrow.

As always, this comes with a major note of caution: The extension comes only for documents that you file in the appellate court’s clerk’s office. Some documents go to the trial court clerk’s office. The most significant of these are the notice of appeal, an appeal bond, and any required transcripts. If today is your deadline to file these, you must check with your local clerk’s office to find out if they’re open. Here by the beautiful banks of Thalia Creek in Virginia Beach, for example, Boreas and Poseidon are combining for a wet, blustery day; it’s 45° outside my office, with no snow anywhere.

Here’s a link to the Virginia courts’ web page, listing individual closings. The US District Courthouses in Alexandria, Richmond, and Harrisonburg are closed; those elsewhere in the Western District will open late. The Norfolk and Newport News Divisions are operating normally, as far as I can tell. I still urge that you call to confirm before you rely on this one day’s deadline succor.