In March of this year jury trials came to a screeching halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conjecture was that the crisis would sufficiently abate by the fall so that jury trials could gradually resume. The virus continues to infect and kill people in New Jersey, throughout the country and the world.

People who are charged with a crime and thereafter admit guilt without coercion or are found guilty of a violation by a fair, unbiased and impartial jury of their peers should be subject to appropriate penalties. A democratic and orderly society requires that their legal and constitutional rights are fastidiously protected.