COVID-19 concerns will have Pulaski County’s courts moving some of their operations out of the courthouse and justice center. Circuit Court Judge Mary Welker told the county council last week that she hopes to resume jury trials in mid-to-late August, but jury selection will pose a bit of a challenge.
“There is no way for me to call 50 jurors into the courthouse anywhere or for [Superior Court] Judge [Crystal] Kocher to call 50 jurors in and keep them six feet apart,” Welker explained. “Judge Kocher’s made arrangements with the school, so we can bring 50 people in at a time, keep them six feet apart, keep them masked, pick a jury, and then bring just the jurors back to the courthouses.”
To do that, council members agreed to let Judge Welker transfer funds to purchase a mobile court reporting system from For the Record. It will cost just over $6,200, but Welker said there may also be some extra costs to set it up at the school.
She said most of that money will come from line items she hasn’t had to use as much due to COVID-19, such as travel expenses for meetings. Council Member Jay Sullivan noted the costs may also be eligible for federal reimbursement.
Welker noted that the system could also prove helpful during the planned courthouse renovations and justice center expansion.
