Sixteen months after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, California courts are slowly, cautiously moving toward more normal operations.

“Even though it may be uncertain and confusing at times, I think at least we can all agree … that the path into the pandemic, in terms of how to navigate, was bouncy,” Martin Hoshino, administrative director of the Judicial Council, said at the council’s last meeting in May. “And it sure looks like the path on the way out will be just as bouncy. I’m sure however we will all find a consensus in the level of how it is we move forward.”