Outside the (jury) box

Courtrooms can’t shut down, even in a pandemic

Covid-19 has upended the way we do everything, from grocery shopping to getting our hair cut. Most of us are trying to figure out how to continue living life while allowing for social distancing to keep everyone safe.

Courtrooms are no exception. Just because America is in the grips of a pandemic doesn’t mean crime is paused. And our justice system shouldn’t be either.

The Arkansas Supreme Court may have suspended jury trials in March, but it also issued an order in July saying civil jury trials may be held in whole or in part by video conference. Criminal trials? They still need to be done in person.

A key component to any trial is the jury (thanks, Sixth Amendment). But if you’ve ever been in a courtroom, you know just how packed jury booths can be, making any social distancing difficult.

Fortunately, Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren has a solution. He’s just going to turn the entire courtroom into a jury box.

“Karren said a few jurors will be spread out in the jury box while the rest will be spaced throughout the courtroom, which means the entire area will be the jury box. The prosecutors and defense attorneys, along with their client, will sit at their usual tables in the courtroom. The trial will remain open to the public because the double doors to the courtroom will be open, or people can sit and watch the trial on a large monitor outside the courtroom,” the papers say.

Keeping jurors safe while maintaining public transparency: Now this is a solution we can get on board with.

Judges and lawyers are having to get creative to keep the judicial process going while covid-19 continues to spread. It’s good to see judges being efficient and safe in their decisions.

Hopefully Lady Justice can swap the blindfold for a face mask these next few months until the contagion is well contained.