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4 ¦ FEBRUARY 1, 2021 NEWS

¦ From POSTPONED on PAGE 1 could be pushed up. It could also
“We looked at the risk assess- be pushed back if there are no
ment tools we have which study signs of improvement, he said.
various factors, including the risks Underhill said he, along with
in the state and the risks of hav- With coronavirus cases the federal judges and staff, are

ing people together. We also took on the upswing, state and frustrated. But, he said, “the
the advice of Erin Bromage, our federal courts have again most significant frustration in-
expert, and the fact that there are pushed back the dates they volves people who are detained
more infectious strains out there,” and awaiting trial. Some of these
Underhill said in an interview Fri- will begin jury trials. people have been waiting a year

day referring to the University of or two now and that violates a
Massachusetts at Dartmouth biol- fundamental sense of how things
ogy professor. “Those strains have should happen. But there is noth-
gotten us concerned, and we need ing we can do about it. While there
to be sure that it’s safe and that people believe it’s safe.” is a constitutional right to a jury trial, there is also a
Underhill said Bromage, who also has a doctor- safety factor.”
ate in microbiology and immunology, urged caution Underhill noted that while there continues to be
to judicial officials in all of the New England states. no jury trials, the work in the state’s three federal
Underhill said Bromage speaks every few weeks to courthouses continue.
judicial officials in Connecticut, Maine, New Hamp- “The courts are open and there is normal business
shire, Massachusetts. Rhode Island and Vermont. other than jury trials. We have hearings and sen-
“He [Bromage] is urging caution at this point and tencings and guilty pleas,” Underhill said.
believes things will get worse before they get better. As of late Thursday, the office of the governor an-
We could have done all of this month-by-month, nounced the state had recorded 235,796 cases of the
but people need to plan. There is a realistic hope that coronavirus and 6,774 deaths.
come May 3, we can actually conduct jury trials. I ¦

think if we picked an earlier date, that becomes a lot Robert Storace covers legal trends, lawsuits and
less realistic,” Underhill said. analysis for the Connecticut Law Tribune. Follow
The chief judge said May 3 is not set in stone and him on Twitter @RobertSCTLaw or reach him atNew Associates New Associates
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