A letter from the state Department of Public Health commissioner is a “flashing yellow light” for judges resuming in-person jury trials while COVID-19 continues its march through Georgia, the president of the Council of Superior Court Judges said. 

Concerned about the rate of community spread of the virus in his circuit, Henry County Superior Court Chief Judge and council head Brian Amero asked Commissioner Kathleen Toomey and her general counsel, Jennifer Dalton, whether it is safe to conduct jury trials if community spread transmission levels are greater than 100 cases per 100,000 people. Amero also wanted to know if there is a threshold of community spread above which it becomes unsafe to conduct a jury trial.