In accordance with current federal judiciary policy applicable to bankruptcy courts, only parties in interest, their attorneys, and witnesses may appear by Zoom® for hearings before Judge Gorman in which Zoom® participation is an option. Members of the public with a general interest in observing the proceedings are not permitted to use Zoom® videoconferencing to attend hearings, and their attendance is further limited as follows.

For non-evidentiary settings, meaning those in which a witness is not testifying, members of the public and media may observe the proceeding in person in the courtroom or, if there is a Zoom® component, may listen to the proceeding by telephone using the connection information provided in the hearing notice and posted on the Court's website. For all trials and other evidentiary settings at which a witness is expected to testify, public access is limited to in-person observation in the courtroom.

Because the updated policy will require court personnel to screen hearing participants before admitting them to a video conference, parties in interest, their attorneys, and witnesses should anticipate potential delays and log-in several minutes in advance of the setting to ensure they are admitted in time for the scheduled hearing. Participants should also be aware of the “chat” feature of Zoom®, through which court personnel may attempt to communicate to confirm the identity of participants and what business they have with the Court before admitting them to the conference.

The hearing notice issued by the Clerk in connection with a case or proceeding will advise interested parties of the date, time, location, and available participation options for the hearing. Judge Gorman has begun setting certain matters for hearing in the courtroom without offering Zoom® as an option for participating. Parties in interest and their attorneys should be attentive to whether the hearing notice explicitly gives the option for participation by Zoom®. Attorneys should not expect that Zoom® will be available in every proceeding and, if not provided for in the hearing notice, must affirmatively request permission for any interested party to appear by Zoom® prior to the hearing date.

Additional information about Judge Gorman’s Zoom® policies and connecting and participating in hearings via Zoom® is available on Judge Gorman's page of the Court’s website or by clicking here.