Embrace Alternative Space to Resume Jury Trials in Person

Only July 8, the Eighth Judicial District in Nevada issued an order allowing a high-profile bench trial to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The impetus behind this is that unlike the local courthouse, the convention center has room for upwards of 50 people to be together while maintaining proper social distance.

This is a welcome development and one that courts around the country should embrace and expand. Most courthouses, and the courtrooms they house, are simply not big enough to allow for proper social distancing. Meanwhile, large spaces that used to hold heavily attended events – particularly convention centers – are vacant as COVID-19 prevents such gatherings. Courts around the country should take advantage of this availability and temporarily use such spaces to allow for the resumption of in-person jury trials. While not perfect, this will allow for the huge backlog of trials across the country to proceed. The potential complications of holding jury trials in temporary space are far fewer in number than conducting virtual jury trials, which some courts have been exploring as a potential solution.