COVID-19 has rocked the entirety of the world by changing the way we go about our daily tasks. While an important activity, jury duty is not a daily action. However, Jury Duty was postponed just like everything else. In recent times, I have discovered that Jury Duty has changed drastically since COVID hit the United States. The article “Jury Trials In The Time Of Covid” by Catherine Foti includes what multiple different states had and have done from the beginning of the pandemic, to current times. New rules have been set in place, and places have begun to reopen with restricted courtroom activities.
Arrival of COVID
When COVID hit in March and the lockdowns began, everything stopped. Many businesses shut down altogether, but Courtrooms in certain places did not. In Foti’s article, the author describes that they had received a Jury notice when an “upturn in the curve” of Covid cases occurred. Another article called “COVID-19: Resuming Jury Trials in Massachusetts” by Felicia Ellsworth and Andrew Dulberg details how the courts shut down entirely, postponing all trials until the case numbers came down.The author of this article says that Massachusetts reduced the spread of COVID through actions of shutting down their courts, and enforcing strict social distancing rules. This is absolutely important to stop the spread. However, being the criminal justice major that I am, I know the process for an incarcerated person to get to trial. It could take months or years, and for them to be sent the whole way back to the start for an undefined amount of time seems to be ridiculous. Out of the two states, I believe Massachusetts handled it the best way.
Trials Now
Trials being held currently are very sporadic. Different courtrooms have resumed in person trials while others have not. In Texas courts have embraced fully virtual trials. In August, a court from Texas used Zoom to conduct a trial. Those without computer access were given electronic devices to attend court. In Foti’s article, the envelopes sent to selected jurors have special steps to ensure others don’t get COVID. They also include questionnaires that have to be sent back to the court. These questions are mainly symptom and exposure checking questions.
–The article by Becker and Green describes a New Jersey court testing a “hybrid” jury selection process. This process includes a pre-screening of potential jurors and looking at underlying health conditions and age. If requirements are met they’re excused from duty. The way New Jersey is handling this is perfect. This excuse from duty could protect those vulnerable to the disease, saving them from being exposed.
What’s Ahead
As of now, the courts are running but very limitedly. The Blair County Courts website show that an extension to a judicial emergency has been put into place until December 31st of this year. This involves using Zoom, telephone, and other devices to hold court hearings. Other states have reopened their courts since the beginning of COVID, but with strict rules set in place. Court hearings that will need to take place in the courtroom will have a staggered amount of people allowed into the room. Again, this is a good idea to stop the spread of this horrible disease.
To conclude, COVID has brought hardships onto everyone, especially people involved in the court system. Jurors, judges, and even the convicted have all had something delayed or entirely cancelled on them. For even the worst of the convicted, a right to a fair and speed trial still applies, and the fact that they haven’t gotten that because of COVID is very unfortunate. With COVID cases seemingly spiking (at least in PA), only time will tell what becomes of many businesses and court cases alike.
I must admit, I am shocked the courts stopped at all. This seems like an essential service to eveyone, especially those who are incarcerated. To me it feels like neglect, almost like these people’s cases are not important enough to be heard, that the court will hear it when it’s convenient for them. It’s incredible to think of having a court hearing via Zoom. Of course everyones safety is the most important thing, but I just wonder how this will change the system, if at all? Do you think this could changes laws and procedures? Is the shock that great? Hopefully this does not play a huge roll in your career and you are able to enter the court system with face to face interaction.
This is a very interesting read. Jury duty is something I wouldn’t have ever considered as something that has been affected by Covid. But after reading this blog I can see how it was affected and how important jury duty is. These are people’s trials and there has to be a jury there for the trial. I found it interesting how you mentioned Massachusetts, and how they handled things compared to other places. I think it’d be very tough to completely close the courts so if you can make guidelines as they did to keep them open in a safe way. I think it’s the best solution to the problem. Thanks for the information and good luck for the rest of the semester!
This was a very well-written and important blog. I knew that some court cases were being conducted over Zoom, but I never thought about how COVID affected jury duty. Since jury duty is an essential part of our society, I am glad that states are taking precautions to protect everyone in the courtroom. I liked that you talked about what Blair County is doing to conduct trials. It was nice to have information pertaining to where I live. From your blog, I learned that Blair county is using Zoom, telephones, and other devices to conduct their trials. This is a great way to prevent the spread of Covid (especially since case numbers are rising). Thank you for providing us with this very helpful information. You will do great in your future career!
This blog is very relevant since COVID-19 has changed the way we do many things. I never really thought about how it affected the courtroom. Learning about the different approaches a few states have taken was interesting. I have recently become of age to perform jury duty, so learning about some of the new guidelines is important. Hopefully, by the time you go into the criminal justice field, COVID won’t be such a problem. However, from reading your blog it’s clear you’re prepared for anything.