NUECES COUNTY, Texas — At the Nueces County Courthouse, a changing of the guard has been made.
148th District Court Judge and former district attorney, Carlos Valdez has been elected presiding administrative judge by the Nueces County Board of Judges.
"It comes at a very difficult time for our county and for everybody because of COVID-19," Valdez said.
The position oversees the judicial branch in the county making sure courts function efficiently and effectively.
And right now judge Valdez said its all about safety with the number one goal to get "in person" juries back into the courtroom. He gave 3News a tour of his courtroom where plexiglass partitions are now up and ready.
Valdez said assuring potential jurors that the courts are safe is the only way to help chip away at the massive backlog of cases waiting to be tried before a jury.
"We need to get the system moving again," Valdez said. "If you don't have juries coming in, many people are sitting jail waiting for their day in court. if you don't have juries coming in you can't give them that day in court."
As of Wednesday, hundreds of cases ranging from murder to state jail felonies, all waiting for jury trials.
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