TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Aug 13, 2021

No jury trials have been held in Shelby County since early last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now court officials worry that the potential make up of juries will further delay return to the courtroom, News 5 reports. Judge Chris Craft explains: “Attorneys on both sides are worried we won’t get a fair representation to pick the jury from. None of them want to try a case when we have a skewed jury pool because of the virus.” In addition to concerns about jury diversity, officials also are concerned about constitutional issues that arise when justice is delayed. Some defendants have been waiting in the Shelby County jail for nearly a year to get their day in court according to the station.