COVID-19 concerns hit courts: Jury trials to be put on hold in Ada, Canyon counties
Multiple Idaho counties, including Ada and Canyon, are suspending jury trials until further notice as a result of the new COVID-19 surge, according to the Idaho Judicial Branch website.
Ada County had planned to postpone jury trials starting Monday, Jan. 10, according to a Dec. 29 administrative order. But under a new order Wednesday, Idaho’s 4th District suspended jury trials in all of its other counties: Boise, Elmore and Valley.
Neighboring Canyon County decided on Jan. 3 to suspend jury trials starting Monday, though the 3rd District’s other counties — Adams, Washington, Payette, Gem and Owyhee — will remain fully operational.
“A very large percentage of court is still operating,” Jamie Robb, trial court administrator for the 3rd Judicial District, told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday in a phone interview.
In November, the Idaho Supreme Court created guidelines for the state’s districts to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The order states that if a county’s seven-day incidence rate — which districts receive every Friday — goes above 24.9 per 100,000 people, jury trials are expected to be postponed until cases go down.
Jury trials are postponed officially once the trial date is within 10 days of the suspension period’s start, Robb said. However, the Idaho Supreme Court guidance does state that ”once a trial has commenced, it should continue to verdict.” A presiding judge may choose to suspend a trial once it has started, according to the emergency order. This would be done on a case-by-case basis.
Under the high court’s guidelines, counties above that 24.9-per-100,000 rate are also asked to mandate mask-wearing and social distancing in courthouses.
Last week, the 4th District’s counties were all below 24.9. But the rapid spread of the omicron variant and a massive increase in cases led to the decision affecting all counties. In addition, the order pointed to the roughly 16,000 positive tests that the Department of Health and Welfare says are backlogged.
On Jan. 3, when the 3rd District’s order was published, Canyon County’s seven-day rate was at 25.5 per 100,000 people. That rate has climbed to 55.3 per 100,000 people, according to the Health and Welfare dashboard.
In Ada County, the seven-day rate is 17.6 per 100,000 and climbing. Ada added 581 new cases Wednesday, 417 on Tuesday and 469 on Monday.
Since at least September 2021, Canyon County has had a mask mandate in place for its courthouse and has social distancing in place a majority of the time, Robb said. As of Wednesday, masks were not required within the Ada County Courthouse, according to its website.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 6:44 PM.
