Connecticut needs a plan to resume jury trials

On July 31, 2020, Massachusetts issued its report on its plan to resume jury trials, which have been suspended due the COVID-19 pandemic: a phased approach, with jury trials starting in September in a few courthouses, progressing to as many trials as possible in all courthouses with certain precautions taken as long as the pandemic lasts.

As the Massachusetts report declares, jury trials are not only “the principal bulwark of our liberties,” they are an express constitutional right. “The jury [is] ‘the guardian of the public trust and the voice of the community’s values,’ is an integral part of the due process protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and helps to sustain democratic values . . . There is no such thing as zero risk; our objective must be to reduce the risk to a level that is acceptable in light of the importance of the jury trial function.”

But what about the Constitution State?

In Connecticut, jury trials have been postponed indefinitely since March. While some states have already resumed jury trials, and the vast majority have issued plans to resume jury trials, Connecticut is one of the few jurisdictions without any announced plan. Meanwhile, the backlog of legal cases grows every day, and Connecticut residents continue to be denied a constitutional right. Barber shops, hair salons and tattoo parlors are back in business. It’s time to address how we are going to put the “guardians of the public trust” back to work. Can we hear a plan, please?

Frank G. Usseglio, Hartford

The writer is an attorney.