Georgia court officials eye March for jury trial resumption

ATLANTA - Georgia court officials say they are hopeful jury trials will resume in March given the recent decline in coronavirus cases along with the rollout of vaccines.

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold D. Melton signed an order on Sunday extending for another 30 days a statewide judicial emergency that suspends the trials because of concerns about COVID-19. But the order says the surge in virus cases that led to the suspension "appears now to be declining."

"Assuming that conditions generally continue to improve, it is anticipated that the next extension order on March 9 will authorize superior and state courts, in their discretion, to resume jury trials as local conditions allow," the order says.

Melton said courts have worked on safety plans for the resumption that comply with public health guidance and guidelines put together by a judicial task force.

Jury trials pose challenges for efforts to contain the coronavirus because they require large numbers of people to come to court locations.

Court officials in Georgia lifted the ban on jury trials in October but reinstated it two months later due to a rapid increase in coronavirus cases.

Judges told state lawmakers last month it could take Georgia’s court system years to dig out of piled-up cases because of the delay.

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