32nd Judicial Circuit extends Phase Two of reopening, jury trials suspended through Oct. 31

Jury trials will remain suspended until at least Oct. 31, according to a court order issued Wednesday by Presiding Judge Benjamin F. Lewis.

The court order extended the Phase Two operational directives for all circuit, associate circuit and municipal divisions of the 32nd Judicial Circuit. The directives may be extended again unless the incidence of COVID-19 decreases significantly from the current level.

“The attorneys, litigants and witnesses need to have some certainty about whether their cases should be prepared for trial in the near future and that is why the order extends through October,” Lewis stated. “We will evaluate the situation again in September and make a decision about what to do for the rest of the calendar year.”