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Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to suspend jury trials for the next month due to coronavirus concerns

The only exception is if a person's Constitutional right to a speedy trial is at stake.

CLEVELAND — Due to the growing concern about the spread of coronavirus, the judges of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas have approved several actions. 

Jury trials for the next month will be suspended, unless a person's Constitutional right to a speedy trial is at stake. This includes both criminal and civil. The court says the suspended status will be re-evaluated at the next judges' meeting on April 8.

The Common Pleas Court judges will conduct as many pre-trials by phone or video conferencing as possible.

Also, starting Monday, not all citizens summoned for jury duty will report in person to the 4th floor of the Justice Center. Instead, a telephone number will be provided for jurors to call to see if they need to report in person. 

Once that number and protocol are established, the court will post the number on its website and Twitter feed. 

The Court also says it is collaborating with the County Sheriff’s Office, the County Prosecutor’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, and MetroHealth Medical Center to address the potential for COVID-19 in the jail. Details of those plans are still in the discussion stage. 

We have a special section of our website devoted to coronavirus. Click here for more.   

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