Covid-19 Restrictions Cause Pierce County Courts To Rethink Jury Procedures
During COVID, Pierce County, Washington attorney Spencer Freeman flagged courts had no set plan for seating juries—the assembly room that holds 250 fit only 25 when distanced. He warned that shrinking the jury pool threatens fair trials, and that a fully online trial could violate a defendant's confrontation rights. Most of the ~2,000 pending cases, he noted, settle before trial.
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Answered by Spencer Freeman · Pierce County, WA
Frequently Asked Questions
How did COVID affect jury seating?
Courts had no set plan for seating juries—an assembly room that holds 250 fit only 25 when distanced, and shrinking the jury pool threatens fair trials.
Could a fully online trial be a problem?
Yes—a fully online trial could violate a defendant's confrontation rights, though most of the roughly 2,000 pending cases settle before trial anyway.
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