Jury trials scheduled in February for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit, which includes the Superior Courts of Hall and Dawson counties, have been postponed due to a sudden increase in positive COVID-19 cases.
Harold D. Melton, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, entered the order today to extend the current halt to jury proceedings, according to an email statement from the Northeastern Judicial Circuit.
Jury trials scheduled for the month of February in the Hall County State Court have also been cancelled.
“While we were prepared to resume, having worked with health and county officials to implement every possible preventative protocol, the current circumstances are of grave concern,” said Kathlene F. Gosselin, Chief Judge of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit. “Jury proceedings must and will return soon, but given the still-rising case numbers and the strains already placed on our local health system, the judges are in agreement the best course of action is to
Dougherty Co. cancels January jury trials following statewide order Dougherty County (Source: WALB) By WALB News Team | December 23, 2020 at 4:18 PM EST - Updated December 23 at 4:18 PM
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Following a statewide cancellation of all jury trials, the Dougherty County court system has canceled all jury trials slated for the first of the new year.
Dougherty County was set to resume jury trials in January 2021.
However, Harold Melton, chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, issued a statewide judicial emergency order that suspended all jury trials in Georgia “at least until February,” Dougherty County officials said in a release. The order was because of a “disturbing spread’ of COVID-19, officials said.
Jury Trials In Tennessee Suspended Until February Wednesday, December 23, 2020
After an emergency session on Tuesday with state judicial leaders, Chief Justice Harold D. Melton signed an order on Wednesday that will suspend jury trials statewide due to a new surge in coronavirus cases.
The order extends for the ninth time the Statewide Judicial Emergency he first declared on March 14. State law allows the Chief Justice to extend the emergency in 30-day increments, and he has done so each month. It also allows him to modify an order within 30 days. The order he signed in mid-October lifted the suspension on jury trials that had been in place.
An order issued last week continues the suspension of jury trials in the Northern District of Georgia until Feb. 28, 2021.
Jury trials in northern Georgiaâs federal courts have been suspended since March 16 and the regionâs Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. continued that suspension with the order published Thursday.
âIn what has become an unfortunately recurring exercise, the court again considers whether national, state and local COVID-19 conditions have sufficiently improved to permit the safe resumption of federal jury trials within the Northern Districtâs courthouses,â Thrash wrote. âOnce again, the news is not good.â