Ryan Tarinelli is reporting for the New York Law Journal the state's court system has announced it will lessen some of its pandemic-related restrictions, saying it will take steps to open the courts for pending nonessential cases beginning April 13. Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks made the announcement April 7, to trial court judges and justices. The state court system shut down all nonessential services in March to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Marks’ announcement says the ban on filing new nonessential matters will continue, but the system will move to open up remote access for pending nonessential cases. “This means that judges should review their case inventories to identify cases in which court conferences can be helpful in advancing the progress of the case, including achieving a resolution of the case,” Marks wrote. Conferences must be held remotely, either by phone or via Skype. The memorandum applies to both criminal and civil cases, but there will not be any new jury trials held for the indefinite future. Read the full story at law [dot] com.