The Dirksen Federal Courthouse will reopen Wednesday after “building-wide system failures” prompted authorities to close the building Tuesday, delaying the trial of R&B star R. Kelly and other proceedings.
Sun-Times file
Shortly before jury trials resumed Tuesday in Chicago’s federal court for the second time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a sound filled a downtown courtroom that may become increasingly familiar as the wheels of justice lurch back into gear.
The snap and rattle of a tape measure.
U.S. District Court Clerk Thomas Bruton, joined by U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall, could be seen measuring the distance between seats in a 25th-floor courtroom where potential jurors would find a chair about 90 minutes later.
A five-month jury trial suspension ended this week in federal court, clearing the way for judges to slowly begin clearing a backlog of cases that has built up in the year since the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
Officials in Cook County said Tuesday’s in-person hearings were called off to "limit the number of people traveling to and from court due to adverse weather conditions for our area."