LAURINBURG — Scotland Courts are closer to resuming jury trials as a result of unified efforts between the county and the court system.
No jury trials have been possible since early 2020 due to the pandemic. A major problem has been that more people are required to assemble than is logistically feasible in light of public health directives. Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Stephan Futrell devised a plan to resume operations after consulting with multiple stakeholders in the system.
A big hurdle to resuming jury trials was recently cleared by installing video and audio equipment purchased by the county and installed by its contractor. It will allow jurors and other participants to be spread out in the courtroom in compliance with directives, but they will be able to hear and see proceedings as they happen with the aid of the devices. Constitutional safeguards such as making trials open to the public are possible by allowing the public and prospective jurors to observe proceedings from a remote location elsewhere in the courthouse.
Although it had been hoped that the equipment would be ready in time to begin a jury trial on Jan. 26, technical and training issues prevented the launch. It is now anticipated that jury trials will resume during the next regularly scheduled session of court during the week of Feb. 22.
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