Jury trials in the 14th Judicial District will resume on April 5. That includes Routt, Moffat, and Grand Counties. They haven’t been happening because of COVID. Chief Judge Michael O’Hara issued the order on March 5. AMENDED ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER OF THE CHIEF JUDGE 2020-04 — COURT OPERATIONS UNDER COVID-19 ADVISORY
“We want people to have their day in court and we have an obligation to make that happen as soon as we reasonably think we can start doing that. With the advent of the vaccinations now, that’s very promising.”
Judge O’Hara says the jury trials will predominantly be county court criminal trials and in-person, with no more than six jurors. The six-foot social distancing rule will be enforced in the courtroom and everyone will wear masks.
Right now, there are 174 jury trials pending in Routt, Moffat, and Grand Counties, as of Monday. But more were added today. They can range from one day to as long as three weeks, but the average jury trial is two days. Judge O’Hara says in the smaller counties, people may be getting called for jury duty again and again since the cases are so backed up.
Breakdown of pending Jury Trials:
- 49 Felony Crime Jury Trials
- 21 Civil District Court Trials (more than $25,000)
- 1 County Court Civil (under $25,000)
- 75 Misdemeanor Jury Trials in County Court
- 26 Traffic Jury Trials
- 2 Dependence and Neglect Trials involving Dept. of Human Services