COVID-19 continues to impact different functions of government, including Iowa’s court system.

With Greene County’s first jury trial slated for September 29th, typically jurors are selected the morning of and from the courtroom in the county courthouse in Jefferson. However, County Attorney Thomas Laehn says jury selection has been moved to the former Greene County Middle School gym. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that court administration will set up the venue to do jury selection. He says the move was due to not having enough space for social distancing.

 “We would have presumably 50-75 potential jurors gathered, and there was just no way to meet the space restrictions that court administration has imposed. So the clerk asked my office if we had any suggestions (and) the junior high gymnasium was nearby, proximite to the courthouse, and I think it’s going to work out well.”

Laehn says having jury selection not be in the courthouse will become the new standard, at least for now.

“We anticipate doing jury selection for the remainder of the year offsite. It may or may not be at the middle school gymnasium, but we have three jury trials scheduled yet this calendar year.”

Laehn adds for any potential juror that is called for jury duty are required to wear either a face mask or a face shield.