Largest county suspends jury trials until January

DETROIT » Michigan’s largest county is postponing jury trials until January. Coronavirus cases are on an “upward spiral,” making it unsafe to hold trials, said Tim Kenny, chief judge at Wayne County Circuit Court. Trials had resumed in late September.

In the Grand Rapids area, Kent County also has halted jury trials until January.

“It is important that we do not expose any people when our numbers are as high as they are right now,” Judge Mark Trusock said last week.

Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker said cases are piling up. There hasn’t been a jury trial since March.

“The backlog is tremendous. ... They’re coming into the system, but they’re not necessarily going out,” Becker said.