Pandemic again causes Clark County to halt jury trials
Clark County will halt felony jury trials for the second time this year, less than two months after restarting them under strict pandemic restrictions, Chief District Judge Linda Bell said Thursday.
In the wake of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s recent stay-at-home directive for Nevada residents, trials set for November have been postponed. Two trials running Thursday were expected to finish this week.
Bell also urged attorneys and parties to use telephone or video conferencing, rather than enter the Regional Justice Center.
“We do highly encourage all lawyers to avoid entering the RJC if possible and make district court appearances by alternative means,” Bell wrote in an email to court staff.
Jury trials had restarted in late September after court officials renovated two third-floor courtrooms to adhere to COVID-19 safety measures, including socially distanced jury seating and plexiglass partitions with a nearby rapid-testing center staffed by University Medical Center.
Officials said about $250,000 in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act went into remodeling the third floor.
Bell has ordered that anyone who walks into the courthouse wear a mask, and county officials also said employees must wear masks at all times as they work, even while stationed at desks alone.
Earlier this year, much of the 17-story building also was equipped with pandemic signage, partitions and crowd-control stanchions to keep people distanced, while elevators have been limited to no more than four people.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.