It’s time for New York state to resume jury trials.

Between the use of technology and an ability to limit the number of people in a courtroom at any one time, it should be possible for criminal jury trials to resume throughout the state, but particularly in smaller counties like Chautauqua and Cattaraugus.

Lawrence Marks, chief administrative judge of the state Unified Court System, told legislators during budget hearings that he isn’t sure when jury trials will begin.

“To suggest that we should, coming out of the second resurgence, go back to normal in person operations is just contrary to the advice of every public health person we’ve talked to, including our own public health experts,” Marks said. “If things continue to improve we will resume jury trials, which are clearly a critical part of the justice system both on the criminal and the civil side. We can’t have a fully functioning court system without jury trials.”

Reopening courts may not seem like much, but victims and their families deserve to receive closure to their case. Conversely, those accused of crimes – particularly those accused of crimes who remain in jail awaiting their day in court – have a constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial.

The longer the state waits, the more cases pile up on an already overburdened court system. As COVID-19 rates decline, the state needs to find a way to get the court system up and moving again.