State Supreme Court: Jury trials may resume June 15

Chief Judge Marlow Sommer plans to have First District cases restart in middle of July

Jury trials pending for criminal and civil cases in New Mexico can resume June

15, the state Supreme Court announced Thursday.

Before trials can start, however, the chief judges of the state’s 13 judicial districts must each submit a plan to the Supreme Court that details operating procedures and precautions to address public health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Thursday afternoon, only the 12th Judicial District, which covers Otero and Lincoln counties, had submitted a plan, said Barry Massey, a spokesman for the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts.

Chief Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer of the First Judicial District Court, which includes Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties, said her district plans to submit its plan by the end of June and resume trials in mid-July.

“As our state gradually reopens, courts can safely resume jury trials as local conditions permit,” New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Judith Nakamura said in a news release.

“In resuming jury trials, our courts will rigorously follow COVID-safe practices developed by public health authorities.”

Judicial districts must ensure people can maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet in courtrooms and jury selection rooms, the news release said.

Sommer said courthouses in the First Judicial District are installing Plexiglass dividers and preparing packages of personal protective equipment for jurors.

The Supreme Court also issued an order Thursday that gives people an extra 30 days to pay fines and fees due to any magistrate, metropolitan, district or municipal court in the state between May 30 and June 30.