Yesterday, on the same date as the announcement that the Governor of Delaware required the closure of “non-essential businesses” (that apparently is defined not to include law firms),  the Delaware Supreme Court ordered, in essence, all Delaware Courts closed to the public until April 15 (e.g., for in-person access) due to the pandemic that has nearly shutdown most of the U.S. and much of the world. This is a supplement to prior Standing Orders issued by Delaware Courts due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Today, the Chancellor of the Court of Chancery issued a “Statement” clarifying the impact on Chancery of the Supreme Court’s closure of in-person access to the Courts until April 15.

In sum, no trial dates beyond April 15 have been postponed and no existing filing deadlines or discovery deadlines have necessarily been suspended, though the Chancellor’s Statement today expressed that the Courts will be solicitous in extending deadlines, and the Court expects counsel and the parties to be cooperative–and to resolve any scheduling issues without Court involvement–in the tradition of professionalism that defines the Delaware Bar.