Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit is considering whether restarting in-person jury trials makes sense. Court officials are monitoring an in-person criminal jury trial in Flagler County to see what lessons can be learned. It's the state's first in-person criminal jury trial in five months. Trial Court Administrator Grant Slayden says staff will be studying trials in other jurisdictions as well:
“We have advisory workgroups of judges and other criminal justice system partners that have gotten together and looked at a lot of the components that would be required to ensure that you can conduct a case to the standards of due process. But also, at the same time, do so in a very safe manner.”
Slayden says keeping safe includes requiring masks, taking people’s temperatures, and marking off seating for social distancing. An administrative order stopped all non-essential court operations, including jury trials in mid-March, because of concerns about the coronavirus. Trials are beginning again on a circuit-by-circuit basis.
