COVID-19 | newhanoverpenderda

Updates Regarding COVID-19

Please check www.nccourts.gov for current updates from the North Carolina Judicial Branch, or call our front desk at 910-772-6900 for assistance.

Updates and more information:

February 8 - Due to a positive COVID test in the New Hanover County Clerk's Office, there will be no District Court, Felony District Court, or Superior Court this week. Please call 910-772-6600 with any questions.

December 14 - If you would like to know if your traffic fines* have been forgiven as part of the recent Driver’s License Restoration Project (see the attached WECT article from December 8, 2020), please search the attached files for your name and case number: click here for New Hanover and click here for Pender. Presently, the clerks of court are updating the court records to enter the relief in each case; we will update our website once all of the cases have been entered.

*Please note that the motion only applies to fees that were assessed in 2018 or earlier, and does not apply to serious offenses like DUIs, drag racing, or excessive speeding. The order does not affect pending charges, cases in which the defendant failed to appear, or outstanding fines in other counties.

December 11 - Out of concern for the safety of court personnel and the public, the Chief Justice intends to issue an emergency directive postponing non-essential, in-person court proceedings for 30 days, beginning Monday, December 14, 2020. Find more updates from New Hanover here and Pender here.

October 15 - Please see the attached COVID-19 protocol for victims and witnesses entering the courthouse.

August 31 - The NC Administrative Office of the Courts launched eCourts Guide & File, a free online service designed to help users complete their forms online and on their own schedules 24/7, helping to reduce the number of in-person courthouse visits and assistance needed. Learn more here.

July 20 - Traffic Court resumes in Pender County on August 5 and in New Hanover County on August 7; please read this press release for details

June 11- Listen to DA Ben David, Sheriff Ed McMahon, and Interim Police Chief Donny Williams on WHQR's Coastline to talk about protests and policing

June 2 - Watch the New Hanover County Government's press conference regarding peaceful protests and curfews here.

May 22 - Read Ben David's article about the courts' use of technology: "COVID, Courts, and Incarceration: A Healthier Justice System in 2020"

May 8 - Read the press release: "Safety tips for living with an abusive partner"

April 27 - Watch the Wilmington Business Journal's interview with Ben David about current operations in our courts and prisons

April 1 - Please click here for information regarding traffic citations and defense driving school

March 30 - Watch a message from Ben David and local law enforcement leaders in "Together We Can, Together We Will"

March 13 - New Hanover and Pender County Superior and District Courts remain open for jail defendants only for the following procedures: first appearances, bond hearings, probation hearings, probable cause hearings, and other non-jury hearings. If you are not in custody, then your case will be continued, and an Order for Arrest will not be issued. Notices will be sent from the Clerk's Office.