AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Travis County prepares to resume criminal jury trials in person, courtrooms have been transformed to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread.
All of the courtrooms are outfitted with plexiglass separating attorneys, witnesses and the judge. Jurors will sit in the gallery, rather than on the jury bench, so they can distance more. Jurors will also wear clear face shields, so everyone in the courtroom can still see their facial expressions. Courtrooms also have sanitizing stations, and everyone who enters will be screened for COVID-19.
Most of the county’s criminal courtrooms won’t have room for the public, so special cameras will stream felony trials online.
While some misdemeanor jury trials have been done remotely, the Texas Office of Court Administration said no felony jury trials have been done that way in the state.
A couple of felony cases were set for trial this week, but one was pushed pack due to a busted jury, and the other was postponed after the defendant’s attorney disagreed with the judge on whether the defendant should have to wear a mask.
While criminal courtrooms in Travis County will all look the same, it will be up to individual judges’ discretion as to whether masks are required.
At 6 p.m. on KXAN, Jacqulyn Powell explores the inside of one of Travis County’s criminal courtrooms and shows the pandemic-cautious differences.
Credit: Source link
