TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on May 26, 2021

In-person jury trials have resumed in Sullivan County, but Criminal Court Judge Jim Goodwin says the halt in trials during the COVID-19 pandemic has created an overwhelming backlog of cases, WJHL News reports. “We can’t catch up. We won’t catch up,” he said. “We’ll get through them the best we can. And that’s all we can do.” Public Defender Andrew Gibbons said his attorneys normally have around 100 cases each, but their caseloads can now reach up to 200 at a time. He cautions against rushing through these cases. “One of my big fears is people in the system — judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, Department of Corrections, whoever — they’re going to want to just start cranking out cases … my job is to make sure the process is fair. My job is to make sure people are protected from the system. You can’t rush that.”