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Circuit 14 courts look to reopen June 1 except for jury trials

Justin Addison Editor/Publisher
Posted 5/26/20

Courtrooms in Howard and Randolph counties will begin working through a dense backlog of cases in the coming weeks, according to Associate Circuit Judge Mason Gebhardt.

During a presentation to …

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Circuit 14 courts look to reopen June 1 except for jury trials

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Courtrooms in Howard and Randolph counties will begin working through a dense backlog of cases in the coming weeks, according to Associate Circuit Judge Mason Gebhardt.

During a presentation to the Fayette Rotary Club last week, Gebhardt detailed how local courts are proceeding amid the COVID-19 restrictions. The 14th Circuit which oversees courts in Howard and Randolph counties, is currently in Phase 1 of a three-phase process designed to carry out justice while also keeping safe all those involved in cases.

The Missouri Supreme Court on March 22 ordered the closure of all courts in the state for all cases other than those which involve orders of protection, emergency mental health orders, and emergency guardianships.

“We’ve had a plethora of restraining orders filed,” Gebhardt said.

In addition, many defendants in custody have appeared before judges either in person or via video conferencing applications such as Zoom.

The supreme court on May 4 issued a new directive that grants each court the autonomy to determine the best ways to open back up. Large urban areas have seen far more cases of the novel coronavirus than Howard and Randolph counties combined. Gebhardt spoke in favor of this new directive. “St. Louis and Kansas City are not remotely the same as we are in handling all this,” he said.

Circuit 14 courts will open back up fully on June 1 for all cases with the exception of jury trials, which could begin again at the end of July. However, measures will still be in place to abide by social distancing and mass gathering protocols. The number of people in the courtroom continues to be limited to 10 or fewer and only10 cases are heard every 30 minutes. The court will also provide masks for everyone in the courtroom. Those ordered to return to court will be expected to bring their masks back with them as supplies are limited.

The court has a backlog of about 1,600 cases due to the pandemic, including many defendants in custody awaiting jury trials.

If the courts can operate without incident for 14 days in this initial phase, they may move on to Phase 2 which would allow up to 25 people in the courtrooms beginning June 1. Phase 3 would allow for jury trials to resume.

“We’re trying to take a very slow approach, while at the same time trying to get this backlog cleaned up,” Gebhardt explained.

Since jury trials require up to 75 potential jurors to be summoned for duty, they would be the last to be reinstated. Defendants awaiting trials may instead choose a bench trial, in which a judge, rather than a jury of peers, would determine guilt or innocence.

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