Jury duty in Covid

radiotrickster

I’ve been reading up on Boards about jury duty as I’ve been summonsed. Anyone know what it’s like with Covid? Is there a backlog of cases so they’re trying to just get the big ones done now or are all the courts running as normal? I saw updates on the Courts website about the impact of Covid but they were from Nov 2020.

I saw as well that they used to summon ~150 people a day but with Covid it’s now ~50. Is that still true and would you be more likely to be picked now? I don’t mind doing my jury service. I’m just interested in the process.

Collie D

I did it last month.

As you mention the overall panel on the first morning was closer to 50 than 150. Everyone in a large room with plenty of social distancing.

If you get called to a trial the jury is split into groups of four and each group gets a jury room and an assigned table for lunch. For the trial itself only half of the jury are in the actual box and the rest seated around the body of the court. When deliberating the whole jury is given the courtroom rather than a jury room.

Case itself wasn’t a particularly serious one such as murder or rape.

Phoebas

I did a High Court civil case last month - held in Kings Inns.

Jury selection was socially distanced and then the jury was split into 2 groups of 6 in the courtroom but were together in the jury room (which was a lecture theatre). Lunch was brought in.

Worked well enough.