Skip to main content

WCCO CBS Interview: Questions Surround Minnesota Courts Reopening



MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesota courts have seen most cases put on hold until at least June.
And there’s concern from attorneys and potential jurors as to what courtrooms might look like when they re-open.
Right now, some court hearings are happening virtually, but that won’t be an option when jury trials resume.
“The problem is no one knows what will happen after the stay-at-home order is lifted,” said attorney Joe Tamburino.
Tamburino worries that judicial districts and counties across the state aren’t on the same page.
His concerns center around social distancing in a building like the Hennepin County Government Center. He calls them simple things that are no longer simple such as- how many people can be in the building at one time going forward? And how many people can be in an elevator together?
“Think about this- you have 20,000 potential jurors coming in and out of that building,” said Tamburino. “All these jurors- are they going to wear masks? Who is going to provide them the masks? How are we going to social distance the jurors when we are in a trial?”
On Friday, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea issued a new order that virtual hearings will continue and in-person restrictions will remain in place through May 18. Jury trials also won’t resume until at least June 1st. In the meantime, they are working with state health officials and others to develop a plan to re-open. When that happens, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman thinks only the 4 largest courtrooms in the government center will have trials.
“Which will enable jurors to be seated perhaps in the spectator’s section with more distancing,” said Freeman.
And Freeman believes that initially, only about 10% to 15% of necessary court personnel will return.
“Minnesotans are good people and they care about the juror’s safety. So we are working on that and it’s taking a little while to plan for it,” said Freeman.
Freeman said there will be a case backlog, but not as much as initially thought because some cases have been settled during the Stay at Home Order and others will be tried in court without a jury.

Full story:
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/05/coronavirus-in-minnesota-uncertainty-about-jury-trials-lingers-due-to-covid-19/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tamburino Talks Law: Gov. Walz Issues Statewide Mask Order

Click Here to Listen to Tamburino Talks Law: Governor Walz Issues Statewide Mask Order When the new rule goes into effect July 25th, Minnesota will be the latest of about 30 states who've introduced similar mask-wearing requirements. Gov. Walz makes it mandatory that anyone older than 2 years old wear a mask when they enter any building or structure that is open to the public.  Such places would include gas stations, stores, coffee shops, public restrooms and schools.   Public and private schools and places of higher-learning are expected to open in some form this fall, and anyone entering those places (students, faculty, staff, or visitors) would need to wear a mask as part of the order.  The order would also apply to anyone in daycare and after-school centers, which means that a 4 year old child in preschool up to a twenty-something student in college would need to wear masks when they’re at school. While individuals can face a misdemeanor fine of up to $100 or a busine...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tamburino Talks Law: Minnesota on New York State Travel Advisory List

Click Here to Listen to Tamburino Talks Law: Minnesota on New York State Travel  Advisory  List  Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York recently added Minnesota to the list of approximately 22 states that are part of  New York  special travel advisories and quarantine rules.   New York  decided that any person traveling to  New York  from a state that has a positive Covid-19 testing rate in excess of 10%, or a number of positive cases exceeding 10 per 100,000 residents, based on a 7 day rolling average, must self quarantine for 14 days before they are allowed to travel freely within  New York  state.  There are exceptions for essential workers (such as health care professionals), and for people who are simply traveling through  New York  and would only be in the state for less than 24 hours.  The new rules also differentiate airline travel from non-airline travel.  First, if you fly into any airport in  New York...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tamburino Talks Law: Wisconsin pharmacist charged in vaccine case

  A Wisconsin pharmacist convinced the world was “crashing down” told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate people’s DNA, according to court documents released Monday. Police north of Milwaukee, arrested Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg last week following an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials of the Modern vaccine, which officials say contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people. Charges are pending. A detective wrote in a probable cause statement that Brandenburg, 46, is an admitted conspiracy theorist and that he told investigators he intentionally tried to ruin the vaccine because it could hurt people by changing their DNA. Misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccines has surged online with false claims circulating on everything from the vaccines’ ingredients to its possible side effects. What are the full scope of charges Brandenburg could face related to tampering with CO...
Post a Comment
Read more