Jury duty during COVID? Many get summons in the mail, but trial delays remain
COVID concerns have delayed jury trials in Sacramento and El Dorado superior courts until at least mid-January, but residents in both counties received summons for jury duty in the mail this week.
Courts officials in both counties Wednesday reiterated that jury proceedings remain suspended by court order because of the pandemic. But some who spoke to and emailed The Bee were confused and angered by the mailed requests and wondered whether they would have to fulfill their civic duty in the tight quarters of a jurors’ box in the middle of a pandemic.
The confusion likely arose because summons have to be in the mail weeks ahead of a prospective juror’s potential service. In El Dorado County, summons were in mailboxes as newly renewed court orders were going into effect that would extend trial delays, said Shelby Wynegar, El Dorado Superior Court assistant CEO.
El Dorado officials on Monday extended a Dec. 2 delay order set to expire on Tuesday to Jan. 31 and ordered civil trials set Dec. 3 through Jan. 31 to be vacated and reset.
Sacramento Superior Court on Dec. 21 issued its own order suspending jury trials and jury service until Jan. 18 save for trials in progress.
Sacramento attorney Kathryn Tyler said her brother, an El Dorado County resident, received his summons for jury service this week. She ticked off the risks to jurors and court workers if jury trials were to proceed.
“I’m extremely concerned for judges, court personnel, jurors — to me it’s a superspreader,” Tyler said. “A large part of the jury pool are seniors. They’re at risk. I’m really concerned about that. This is just insane.”
Tyler’s concerns may be moot now with the new orders, but courts officials are reminding those who received summons to call in at their designated times.
Prospective Sacramento County jurors still must call in to the court on their reporting dates “in the event we have a case that cannot be continued due to it being the last day of the defendant’s right to a speedy trial,” said Sacramento Superior Court spokeswoman Kim Pedersen.
That has not yet happened, Pedersen said, but she said Sacramento court officials will assess whether to extend any delays beyond Jan 18.
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