COURT CALENDARS:

Honorable Judge Diane Finkle

341 Meeting Information and Calendars

Calendar of Attorney Court Excusals

1.  IN-PERSON COURT PROCEEDINGS: On May 10, 2023, the Court issued General Order 23-002, rescinding all COVID-19-related general orders then in effect due to the end of the national public health emergency. All court proceedings will be held in-person unless otherwise ordered and are open to the public.  

2.  VIDEO COURT PROCEEDINGS: When necessary, the Court will continue using ZoomGov for remote hearings. Court staff will contact the litigants and conduct a practice session if needed prior to any Zoom evidentiary matter being held.  

3.  ZOOM VIDEO ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS: Instructions for a Zoom session are available here: RIB Attorney Zoom Guide. An email with the Zoom login information will be sent by the courtroom deputy prior to your hearing.  

4.  ZOOM TRAINING AVAILABLE: Training on Zoom is available upon request by contacting the Courtroom Deputy, Pamela Ricciarelli at 401-626-3136 or via e-mail at Pamela_Ricciarelli@rib.uscourts.gov. In addition, the US District Court, through its Virtual Litigation Academy, has produced a 90 minute instruction video on "How to Conduct a Bench Trial via Zoom".  Please check out the 90-minute instructional video here: https://youtu.be/IH56DQVkGqQ.  The District Court has applied for 1.5 CLE credits (.5 Ethics) for this program. If you would like CLE credit, please email your bar number to Lisa Quartino after watching at lisa_quartino@rid.uscourts.gov

5.  REMOTE PUBLIC ACCESS TO COURT PROCEEDINGS: In accordance with Judicial Conference policy, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island provides live remote audio public access to court proceedings in which no witness is testifying. This public access is provided at the discretion of the Judge and is subject to termination at any time in the interests of the rights of the parties and the administration of justice.

A calendar schedule for the next 30 days is provided below under calendar information.  No special access code is required; simply click the YouTube link and turn on your speakers.    

6.  CALENDAR INFORMATON:  The Court's hearing calendars for Bankruptcy Judge Diane Finkle, and other designated judges hearing RI cases, are presented in two different versions. 

• The "current" (clean) version shows only matters currently scheduled for hearing as of the date/time of the report; and

• a second "w/ vacated" version includes matters marked in red that have been removed from the original calendar and are provided on the list for informational purposes. 

• If a matter appears on the current calendar, or is not marked in red on the w/vacated calendar, counsel are expected to appear at the designated time. Requests for continuance of matters set for hearing must comply with LBR  5071-1.