After months without a single jury sitting in the state of Washington, the state Supreme Court recently gave counties permission to return to jury trials when they see fit, with some additional precautions in place. | Stock photo
After months without a single jury sitting in the state of Washington, the state Supreme Court recently gave counties permission to return to jury trials when they see fit, with some additional precautions in place. | Stock photo
After months of no jury trials due to COVID-19 restrictions, San Juan County courts are preparing begin hearing cases by sometime this fall and local residents can expect to start receiving jury summonses in the mail.
Both the San Juan Superior Court and San Juan District Court suspended all jury trials in early March, as courtrooms around Washington ground to a halt in the face of the looming threat of the novel coronavirus, Island Sounder reported. The state Supreme Court suspended all jury trials on March 18 and only recently has begun to allow them to resume.
But the decision for when it is once again safe to resume jury trials still ultimately lies with the judgement of each county, according to the Island Sounder.
There will still be additional cautions in place related to coronavirus concerns, though, such as conducting some jury selection remotely, daily health questionnaires for jurors, a mask requirement for all present in the courtroom who are not actively participating in the trial and increased sanitization procedures.
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