St. Louis City Circuit Court is still planning to hold its first jury trial, with a date, following the COVID-19 shut down.
But it all depends on whether it can hit targets under the mandates of the Missouri Supreme Court regarding the gradual reopening of the judicial system to in-person hearings.
While some circuits have moved into phase one of the re-opening plan laid down by the high court, both St. Louis City and County remain on zero with tight restrictions.
"While we have a target date of June 22 for the first jury trial, we will follow the mandates spelled out by the Missouri Supreme Court in its May 4 order regarding phased reopening," Thom Gross, public information officer for the city circuit court, told the St. Louis Record.
Under phase one, critical proceedings may resume, courtrooms and other public spaces are limited to no more than 10 people where possible.
Phase Two states that additional proceedings may resume while courtrooms and other public spaces are limited to no more than 25 people if possible.
It is planned that the phased reopening will then include proceedings, including those in court, happening in line with "local social distancing and occupancy limit protocols."
"The St. Louis Circuit Court remains open for business during the COVID-19 pandemic, but like all institutions now, we have significantly modified operations and procedures to protect the health of the public and our employees," Gross said.
He added, "We began these modifications in mid-March, and we expect them to remain in effect through the summer."
Among the modifications is a ban on in-person proceedings and hearings until further notice, including jury trials.
The judiciary statewide has launched a redesigned COVID-19 alerts page. Circuit court and appellate court information are using drop-down menus or a color-coded interactive map along with a searchable table for municipal information.