Petty Offense Hearings Suspended At Brooklyn Federal Court

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A tiny virus continues to force big changes in day-to-day life for Brooklyn's justice system.

Hearings for petty, low-level offenses in the federal Eastern District of New York will be suspended further notice, the court's chief Judge Roslynn Mauskopf ordered Tuesday.

The order echoes a recent decision — this time in New York City's legal system — by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez to decline prosecuting low-level crimes.

And the reasoning is the same — the greater threat to the public order is spreading the new coronavirus, not petty crime.

"Therefore, in order to protect public health and to reduce the size of public gatherings, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is hereby suspending all petty offense proceedings within this District scheduled to begin before April 27, 2020 until further order of the Court," Mauskopf ordered.

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Mauskopf also issued an order restricting visitors to the court's Brooklyn and Islip courthouses. It prohibits people who have recently traveled to several countries with large COVID-19 outbreaks. The list includes China, Italy, Iran and a wide swath of Europe.

People who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have been asked to self-quarantine are also prohibited from entering the court.

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