First jury term since the start of the pandemic

The state’s chief justice has decreed it’s time for court administration to return to as normal a schedule as possible, and Oconee will comply by holding a General Sessions Court jury term the week of October 12.  Clerk of Court Beverly Whitfield confirms to 101.7/WGOG NEWS that preparations have begun including glass partitions for the 12-seat jury box, as a way to protect from flu or virus spread.  Notices have been sent to 200 Oconeeans who are to fill the jury pool.  Two-hundred is the usual number of notices, and court officers typically can figure some 50 of those called for jury duty will qualify for exemptions, such as senior citizen age.  Clerk Whitfield share Chief Justice Donald Beatty’s view that the time has arrived to move to normal court operations.  She said, “I think everybody is ready get back to normal, too.”  Although there have been no South Carolina jury trials in the last six months, Justice Beatty says the circuit and family courts have been active, having held about 11 thousand hearings thru the technology WebEx.  Other hearings have been held with parties present, by Zoom, by tele-conference and other platforms.  But, without juries to resolve certain cases, it’s believed there’s a backlog of cases.  Lindsey Simmons, deputy solicitor, says a docket for the week of October 12-16 will be published on schedule, about 10 days prior.