Jefferson County courts still will require participants to wear a mask, social distance and take other precautions despite such precautions being lifted for courthouse visitors.
The Honorable Randy Shelton, judge for the 279th Civil District Court, said that all the judges were in agreement that the precautions need to continue for the time being.
“We started getting some calls after the announcement yesterday because (jurors) thought masks weren’t going to be required in court,” he said. “We’re still going to require masks, social distancing and everything else. We’re trying to get jurors in here, and it’s tough already.”
The Jefferson County Commissioners Court on Tuesday morning unanimously approved a move to rescind the “courthouse reopening plan,” which included a mask requirement and others that worked to slow the spread of COVID-19.
However, while most residents can decide what time of day to pay their taxes or choose to do it online, based on their comfort with the county’s protocols, jurors and others in court have less of a choice.
Shelton said the courts did virtual trials for much of last year before being able to resume jury trials in the fall. However, within about a month, those trials were again shut down.
“We finally got things opened again in late February, and so now we’ve been running three or four juries a week,” he said.
The courts are allowing the audience to watch trials on YouTube instead of in the galleries, and juries still are being spread as much as possible. But the nature of the duty means at least some time spent in relatively close quarters for deliberation, at the very least.
“We haven’t had any real issue with that once they’re here,” he said. “But getting them here is a problem. So, we as a group are going to require masks, social distancing and other precautions so we can keep our juries and everyone else safe.”
He said he did not yet know what kind of timeline the courts might look at for dropping the requirements or what markers might contribute to that decision.
While masks are not required in the rest of the courthouse, the commissioners court still is encouraging residents to follow good hygiene and social-distancing practices.
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