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The Supreme Court and County Court of Victoria have put a date on when criminal jury trials can resume now that it can safely welcome people back to courts.
As public health advice has now allowed the resumption of everyday activities, criminal jury trials can resume in a limited number of trials from 20 July. The courts will continue to monitor developments between now and then but are pleased to return to normal.
Chief Justice Anne Ferguson and Chief Judge Peter Kidd said they were pleased that Melbourne was reaching the point of safely resuming criminal jury trials.
“Jury trials will look a little different, but their essential role in our criminal justice system will remain unchanged,” said CJ Ferguson and CJ Kidd in a joint statement.
“Central to this plan has been ensuring that we can provide a comfortable environment for jurors and all court users, consistent with the measures being adapted across the community, as we return to more everyday activities.”
Jury trials will resume with a number of self-distancing measures, such as avoiding a need for large jury pools, physical distancing arrangements within the courtrooms and procedure changes to minimise the need for handling of objects.
The courts will continue to use technology for some other hearings to keep the number of people physically coming to court low and accommodate the physical needs of juries.
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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