NUECES COUNTY, Texas — It may be hard to believe, but over the last year of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been no jury trials in Nueces County.
All of the cases requiring juries came to a sudden halt when the county shut down. Today, word from the county's presiding district judge is that jury trials will begin again in less than two weeks.
"Just really kind of excited and energized to get back into the courtroom," 214th District Court Judge Inna Klein said.
The enthusiastic words from the presiding judge of Nueces County, who like her counterparts on the seventh, eight and ninth floors of the courthouse, have been holding virtual hearings and non-jury trials during the pandemic.
Come Monday, April 19, jury trials will begin, albeit under the "new normal."
"The safety of everybody is paramount and at the center of everything," Klein said.
Courtrooms have been transformed to make it safer for everyone as much as possible. There's plexiglass dividers for jurors, prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses.
The public and media will rely on live YouTube video feeds. Judge Klein said even juries will be selected with safety in mind.
"There will only be one jury selection at any given time," Klein said. "On Mondays, will be the seventh floor, which is the county courts at law. On Tuesday, will be the eight floor district courts and on Wednesdays, will be the ninth floor district courts."
District Attorney Mark Gonzalez said his office has been clearing out as many non-jury trials as possible. But he said there are more than 100 serious cases that need to be tried before juries.
"We have people sitting in jail and we have victims waiting for some resolution," Gonzalez said.
The seriousness among the cases waiting to be tried are varied.
"These are the most pressing when you have, you know, 34 murders, you know, the prior year and 20 something the year prior to that and we haven't' resolved most of them," Gonzalez added.
While judges, the DA and their staffs are ready to go, ultimately, it'll be our community, the individuals who'll be called upon to serve on juries, that'll make these trials possible.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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