The state’s first jury trial since COVID-19 has been stayed while an appeals court weighs a challenge to revised jury selection procedures from the case.

Appellate Division Judge Douglas Fasciale granted the motion by lawyers for accused arsonist Wildemar Dangcil to file an emergency motion challenging the jury array in the case. The appeals court ruling comes after the trial judge in the case, Robert Vinci, declined to delay the trial Monday after rejecting the defense lawyers’ concerns about the manner of jury selection.