The wheels of justice may turn slowly with fears of COVID-19 in the courtroom.
Five members of the District Attorney’s staff in San Bernardino County tested positive for the virus last week and a dozen members of the Public Defender staff who work alongside them are now in quarantine.
Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley is President of the California District Attorney’s Association, and she told KCBS Radio that it’s caught the attention of court staff in the Bay Area.
“We’ve been so alert and on alert to make sure that all of our staff is healthy and safe,” she said. “I’m sure they did down there also. A couple of weeks ago a public offender from Los Angeles actually died.”
The justice system is already struggling to adjust with a growing backlog of criminal cases. New trials are still weeks away, but several trials that have been interrupted by the pandemic are now resuming.
“Even how we’re going to select jurors, we’re still working through those details,” O’Malley added. “And how do you get jurors to show up?”
For months now, arraignments and preliminary hearings have taken place remotely, however, when it comes to trials, it’s just about impossible to do it anywhere but in the courtroom. How to do that safely, fairly and timely is the topic of conversation in all nine Bay Area counties.