When appropriate, we also permit some participants to appear remotely.” Plexiglass barriers have also been installed throughout the courthouse. Throughout the process, we observe social distancing, face coverings, and frequent sanitization. I readily excuse anyone over 70 and anyone else who expresses health concerns or who objects to serving because of the pandemic. Those who do appear are medically screened when entering the courthouse. “When a citizen is summoned for jury duty, the district clerk's office permits them to reschedule their service if they have health-related concerns about coming to the courthouse. “It is certainly not my intention to force anyone who has COVID-19-related health concerns to participate in a jury trial,” said Smith, who was recently elected to a third term. On the county’s website is a July 1 notice outlining procedures that include “100 jurors to the Central Jury Room for voir dire for 1 case per day.” It says capacity for the room is 600 persons. But Collin County and Smith are apparently confident of dodging COVID now. Promising vaccine news gives hope for 2021. In a pandemic, however, judges bear an extra responsibility to keep courthouses safe. Dallas County recently mailed 2,000 jury summons for civil trials and state District Judge Maricela Moore’s court has experimented with a hybrid model in an attempt to get the wheels of justice somewhat back in motion. In May, Collin County state District Judge Emily Miskel oversaw a nonbinding civil case via Zoom. There are attempts to both keep the system from being backlogged for years and preserving a defendant’s right to a speedy trial. This year, there have been approximately 50. In a normal year, Texas would hold 6,000 jury trials between Easter and Thanksgiving. I am not aware of any person who became sick following a trial.” “We are also working in conjunction with the Collin County Health Authority. “I can’t speak to what other counties are doing, but in Collin County, we are strictly complying with the orders of the Texas Supreme Court and the guidance issued by the Office of Court Administration,” Smith said in an email to the Observer Wednesday afternoon. According to state officials, 218 people in Collin County have died from COVID-19 and approximately 300 are hospitalized. 14-15, and 401 cases added this week to push the area’s total to near 22,000. "I think everyone was like, ‘Hey, what are doing here?’ I’d just as soon take responsibility for my own health rather than some court do it for me.” – Jeff Willis, called for jury duty tweet this The Texas Department of State Health Services said there were nine deaths in Collin County Nov. I think everyone was like, ‘Hey, what are doing here?’ I’d just as soon take responsibility for my own health rather than some court do it for me.”ĭespite cases soaring nationally and surrounding counties such as Dallas still reluctant to hold in-person jury trials, Smith’s criminal court is back in session. “There was a lady freaking out because she hadn’t been out of her house since March other than to get groceries,” Willis said. Everyone was wearing masks and, Willis said, staying “pretty close” to the authority's suggested 6 feet apart.īut in the midst of a pandemic only showing signs of strengthening, it was business as unusual. #Jydge gregory holder calls in jury trial12 in a jury room for Republican Judge Ben Smith’s 380th District Court in Collin County. According to Smith, it was the first jury trial in his court since February and the sixth in the Collin County courthouse since it resumed in-person activities in October. The cause of Willis’ angst was his required appearance Nov. “In this environment with COVID cases spiking? Packed in a room with 65 to 70 strangers? I mean, something just wasn’t right about it. “I was very uncomfortable, borderline scared,” the 58-year-old former firefighter said. Though it isn’t the “packing the courts” some politicians fear, for McKinney’s Jeff Willis it’s more than scary. 19: Collin County has decided, per presiding judge of the First Administrative Judicial Region, Judge Ray Wheless, to halt in-person jury trials between Nov.
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