New Jersey Appeals Court Stops First Pandemic Jury Trial

By on October 1, 2020

Earlier this week we told you that a New Jersey court was conducting voir dire partially by Zoom. The defendant objected that the process is unconstitutional because it yields a jury pool that is not a cross-section of the community. Now the court of appeals has halted the trial while it considers the issue. This result may be cited in criminal and civil jury trials nationwide, in both federal and state court. The issue of forming a representative jury pool in the midst of the pandemic has been worrying the judiciary for many months. Notably, the New Jersey Law Journal article on this case bears the headline “Appeals Court Halts State’s 1st Post-COVID-19 Jury Trial After Jury Selection Challenged.” But of course, we are not post-COVID-19. We are mid-COVID-19.

 

McDermott Will & Emery
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McDermott’s litigation team monitors US courts as they reopen amid the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis.

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