Jury trials on hold at Waukegan courthouse
Jury trials at the Waukegan courthouse have been put on pause because of the spike in COVID-19 cases.
Court spokeswoman Kasey Morgan said Tuesday that Chief Judge Diane E. Winter notified the Lake County Bar Association that all jury trials would be paused on Nov. 5. Morgan said Winter's decision was not shared with the media at the time because the court is still sending out jury summons to Lake County residents.
"That needs to be done five weeks in advance," Morgan said. "We intend to resume jury trials as soon as it is safe to."
In Winter's message to the bar association, she also stressed that jury trials will resume once it is safe.
"We will again pause jury trials but will remain ready to resume as soon as metrics improve," Winter said in the notice.
Winter said the Jury Trial Task Force will continue to evaluate options that will safeguard due process and keep jurors, attorneys, court staff and the public safe.
"Guidance will continue to be provided by the Lake County Health Department," Winter said. "We ask all attorneys and parties in cases scheduled for trial to continue trial preparations."
Jurors had only just returned to the courthouse on Sept. 2. Winter said in her notice that one civil jury trial and one criminal jury trial were completed in October.