According to the Los Angeles Superior Court, there are now 7,000 criminal cases that must be tried to satisfy defendants’ statutory speedy trial rights.
As a result, the Court is prioritizing the resumption of criminal jury trials, “while remaining vigilant about enforcing the COVID-19 health and safety protocols in 38 courthouses so that litigants, attorneys, witnesses, jurors, court personnel, justice partners, judicial officers, and others can participate safely in court proceedings.”
To that end, the LASC has implemented many significant changes to the jury processes to protect jurors and maintain social distancing standards, while allowing the Court to resume its business.
For example, the first criminal jury trial held since the shutdown began was completed the first week of September, while the Court resumed Small Claims trials and traffic non-jury trials in August. Juvenile dependency courts resumed operations on June 22, and have held the vast majority of proceedings remotely, enabling litigants and counsel to access the courts safely.
For complete details on the progress made by the Court and its plans to resume normalized operations, please go to https://sfvba.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/20-NR-PRESIDING-JUDGE-ISSUES-NEW-GO-EXTENDING-TRIALS-WHILE-RAMPING-UP-COURT-COMBINED.pdf
