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Emergency or Weather-Related Cancellation of Court

In accordance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 77(c)(1), the court must be open during business hours every day except Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.  However, it may occasionally be necessary to delay or close the court when extreme weather conditions or an emergency occurs.  There are four (4) ways to find information about court closures and operating status:

Jury Duty. Jurors who are scheduled to report during a weather closing or other court cancellation should contact the Court’s Jury Information System  at (401) 752-7290 for updates before leaving for the courthouse. Also, jurors may be contacted by the Jury Information system with additional reporting instructions as necessary. 

Litigants. Litigants involved in a scheduled court proceeding during a weather closing or other court cancellations will be notified via CM/ECF or by a court staff member.  

Online. Notices of court closures due to weather or other emergencies are also posted as quickly as possible on www.rid.uscourts.gov 

Email & Twitter. Subscribe by email to the Court’s Email Updates as noted above for court closure announcements and other information, or follow the Court on Twitter @USDC_RI.

Phone. For information on weather-related closing due to snow or emergency court closures, contact the Court’s mainline at 401-752-7200. The phone line is typically updated in the evening the day before anticipated inclement weather or early the next morning.