Pierce County suspends jury trials further into 2021 in response to COVID-19 pandemic
Pierce County Superior Court has suspended jury trials further into 2021 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Criminal jury trials are suspended until at least Feb. 1, and civil trials until at least March 1.
“This decision was made in part due to the Governor’s extension of his restriction on gatherings and our interest in keeping staff and court participants as safe as possible,” the county posted on Twitter.
The order won’t affect other court appearances or bench trials.
Court officials had suspended new jury trials into the new year, until at least Jan. 11.
Pierce County and other courts suspended jury trials earlier this year, then slowly resumed them with safety precautions. Then as cases surged last month they postponed them again.
Pierce County reported 711 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, bringing its total to 18,915 cases and 254 deaths.
