Court Leader's Advantage

Your Court Restarting Trials? Here’s What Works

As courts are reopening, many have already held their first trials. Others are planning to start trials in the next month or two. Whether they are conducted in-courtroom, or via video conference-calls, trials are going to look different for some time into the future. What will change for those coming to the courthouse? What will a trial on a video conference-call look like? To help manage this process, The Federal Judiciary just released a report on June 4 titled, “Conducting Jury Trials and Convening Grand Juries During the Pandemic.”

The panel discusses the experience of courts that have already held some trials; others courts that are starting up pilot programs in their states; the dramatic increase in the space needs for jury trials (it is currently taking three courtrooms to hold a single trial); supplemental jury questionnaires specifically addressing jurors and the Coronavirus; masks, goggles, and gloves, disinfecting routines; videos describing what courts are doing to keep jurors safe, and even the possibility of video conferencing the voir dire.

This Week's Panelists

Zenell Brown has garnered respect both as Executive Court Administrator for the Third Circuit Court in Detroit, Michigan, and for her ethical leadership and innovation.  Zenell has a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School, a Public Service Administration Graduate Certificate from Central Michigan University, and  a Court Administration Certificate from Michigan State University.

Richard J. "Rick" Pierce is the Judicial Programs Administrator of the Judicial District Operations and Programs Department, at the Pennsylvania Administrative Office of the Courts.  Prior to his current position, he was the district court administrator for Cumberland County.  He graduated from Washington and Lee University, and received his Masters in Public Administration from Shippensburg University.

Angela S. "Angie" VanSchoick is the Court Administrator with the Town of Breckenridge Municipal Court.   She received her MSW from the University of Michigan in 2007.   She also assist the Court and with the Colorado Association for Municipal Court Administration.

Elizabeth "Liz" Rambo is the Trial Court Administrator for Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene, Oregon.  She graduated with high scholarship from Oregon State University with a BA in history and has an MBA from Portland State University.

Mark A. Weinberg is the Court Administrator for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Prior to his current position, he was an administrator with the court in Maricopa County, Arizona.  He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from James Madison University and a master's degree in judicial administration from the University of Denver.

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