Rule 1-9B. Emergency Powers of Rules Committee

(a) In the event that the governor declares a public health emergency pursuant to General Statutes § 19a-131a or a civil preparedness emergency pursuant to General Statutes § 28-9 or both, the chief justice, or if the chief justice is incapacitated or unavailable, the chairperson of the Rules Committee may call a meeting of the Superior Court Rules Committee.

(b) No quorum shall be required at this meeting as long as a good faith effort has been made to contact all members of the Rules Committee to advise them of the meeting. The meeting may be held in person or by electronic means. Public notice should be given of the Rules Committee meeting, but failure to give such notice shall not impair the validity of actions taken at the meeting as long as a good faith effort has been made to provide such notice.

(c) At such meeting the Rules Committee shall have the power to adopt on an interim basis any new rules and to amend or suspend in whole or in part on an interim basis any existing rules concerning practice and procedure in the Superior Court that the committee deems necessary in light of the circumstances of the declared emergency. Any new rules and any amendments to and suspensions of existing rules adopted pursuant to this section should be published in the Connecticut Law Journal and on the Judicial Branch website, but failure to so publish shall not impair the validity of such rules as long as a good faith effort has been made to so publish.

(d) Any such new rules and amendments to and suspensions of existing rules adopted pursuant to this section shall remain in effect for the duration of the declared emergency or until such time, as soon as practicable, as a meeting of the Superior Court judges can be convened, in person or electronically, to consider and vote on the changes.