FROM PRESIDING CIRCUIT JUDGE AL MAY In its order of May 13, 2020, the Alabama Supreme Court suspended jury trials until September 14, 2020. In accordance with that order, Tuscaloosa County will resume jury trials for jury weeks October 5th and October 13th.

At the courthouse, our present safety protocols will continue. These include social distancing and masking in our halls and courtrooms, temperature checks of everyone who enters, and accessible sanitizers in courtrooms and halls. In addition, to limit the numbers in the courthouse at any one time, we will bring in reduced venire panels for one trial at a time with jury organization divided into separate sessions at separate times. We plan to use the vacant third floor courtroom for a jury assembly room, and the trial courtrooms as the jury deliberation rooms. Also, the jury boxes will be reconfigured to allow for proper distancing between jurors.

We now have an on-line jury summons that each potential juror may access with an individualized PIN by computer or smart phone. Included with the summons is a short questionnaire that will aid in the qualification of jurors. Incorporated into the questionnaire are COVID-related questions allowing jurors to be excused on-line if they have had recent COVID exposure, are of a heightened risk due to age or an underlying condition, or have COVID fears.