Guam District Court Authorizes Telephonic Appearances
On March 30, 2020, Chief Judge of the District Court of Guam Francis Tydingco-Gatewood issued General Order No. 20-0013 authorizing judges in the District Court of Guam, with the consent of the defendant or the juvenile after consultation with counsel, to use video conferencing, or telephonic conferencing if video conferencing is not reasonably available for use, for:
(A) Detention hearings under section 3142 of title 18, United States Code.
(B) Initial appearances under Rule 5 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(C) Preliminary hearings under Rule 5.1 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(D) Waivers of indictment under Rule 7(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(E) Arraignments under Rule 10 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(F) Probation and supervised release revocation proceedings under Rule 32.1 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(G) Pretrial release revocation proceedings under section 3148 of title 18, United States Code.
(H) Appearances under Rule 40 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(I) Misdemeanor pleas and sentencings as described in Rule 43(b )(2) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(J) Proceedings under chapter 403 of title 18, United States Code (commonly known as the "Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act"), except for contested transfer hearings and juvenile delinquency adjudication or trial proceedings.
Additionally, if a judge in an individual case finds, for specific reasons, that a felony plea or sentencing in that case cannot be further delayed without serious harm to the interests of justice, the Order authorizes a judge, with the consent of the defendant after consultation with counsel, to use video conferencing, or teleconferencing if video conferencing is not reasonably available, for the felony plea or sentencing in that case. Judges may also use this authority for equivalent events in juvenile cases.
These authorizations remain in place for 90 days unless otherwise extended or terminated.
The District Court’s General Order No. 20-0013 can be found in full here.