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Spring is here, and, after a very challenging year, it seems that we are almost on the other side of this pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines are more widely available, and many are choosing to take them as a step towards returning to a more normal life.
As we turn the corner, I feel a sense of accomplishment that my office remained open for business this entire time and continued to protect the community while fulfilling our mission. Where there were many obstacles, we saw tremendous opportunities to innovate and move forward. And there’s good news about moving forward with in-person jury trials.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the judicial system as all of the stakeholders took great care to ensure everyone’s safety and health. Commencing in March 2020, only those who were mission-critical were permitted to enter Miami-Dade courthouses.
Over the past year, the courts and litigants used virtual platforms to speak with witnesses and conduct arraignments, status hearings, depositions, and other proceedings. However, the courts were unable to conduct any jury trials until early March 2021.
On March 2nd, jury selection began in separate courtrooms for two criminal court cases. One was held at the Family Courthouse downtown for a misdemeanor Domestic Violence case, and the other took place at the Criminal Courthouse for a felony case.
Rundle said, “I am very proud of my Leadership Team and the work they did together with the courts, the Public Defender, other stakeholders and health experts to make sure that everyone appearing in person could participate in our criminal justice system in a safe and meaningful way. We especially want to thank those jurors who were willing to serve as they are a key to the administration of justice for victims and defendants.”
All jurors were prequalified via Zoom and strict safety protocols were followed throughout the trials. Jurors were provided their own entrances to the courthouse and were required to wear masks and engage in social distancing.
Both cases were tried to verdict. The successful execution of the first two in-person jury trials pave the way for expanding the number of trials while continuing to follow all safety and health protocols.
