New order: Jury trials suspended ‘until at least February’

♦ Court functions deemed essential, grand jury proceedings will continue.

A new order from Georgia Chief Justice Harold Melton has further put off jury trials, which had been scheduled to resume in the beginning of January in the Rome Circuit.

Citing the “recent rapid escalation of COVID- 19 cases,” Melton suspended until February all jury trials that weren’t already in progress. This continues, at least for Floyd County, a hiatus on trials since March when the pandemic first hit.

Preparations had begun in October to resume jury trials and grand jury proceedings restarted their biweekly meetings at the Forum River Center.

At that time a committee comprised of local judges, attorneys and law enforcement put together a tentative plan to fully reopen. That plan covers, among

other things, how to comply with social distancing recommendations prior to and during a trial as well as where jurors will deliberate after a trial.

That same committee also has been working on ways to allow public access to court proceedings, which could include remote access.

“All courts are again urged to use technology when practicable and lawful to conduct remote judicial proceedings as a safer alternative to in- person proceedings,” Melton wrote in the order.

The court has continued to function throughout the jury trial suspension locally and judges have been holding hearings deemed essential — bond hearings and certain pretrial hearings to name a few.

As part of planning toward resuming in-person jury trials the county annexed the Forum River Center to be used as part of the courthouse. Grand jury proceeding have been held at the spacious event venue since mid- November.