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NEWS APRIL 12, 2021 ¦ 5

‘Uncertainty Off the Charts’: Lawyers
Frustrated by Jury Trial Delays

By Robert Storace

A Connecticut Judicial Branch building in Hartford. Photo: Google
s the Connecticut court system enters its 13th In response to attorney concerns, Rhonda He-
month since the pandemic halted jury trials, bert, spokesperson for the state Judicial Branch,
attorneys are getting frustrated over the back- said, “These are the very same issues we consider
log in court cases and uncertainty over when trials every single day as we adapt and adjust court op-
might resume. eration. When trials resume protocols will be in
A Connecticut attorney for 28 years, Bill Beckert place to match the then existing public health de-
said he understand the restraints that COVID-19 has mands. It has been and remains a moving target
put on the Judicial Branch, but still has lots of unan- because the circumstances surrounding the virus
swered questions. change on a daily basis.”
“The level of uncertainty is off the charts,” said Attorney Tom Rechen, a partner with McCarter
Beckert of Jainchill & Beckert in Plainville. “What & English in Hartford, has been getting frequent
will jury selection look like, and where will the jurors feedback from members of the Hartford County
be? What are the Judicial Branch protocols? We just Bar Association, where he serves as president of the
don’t know if the rules will be the same in Hartford as 1,300-member group.
they are in Torrington. How do you prepare for a trial “There is a lot of frustration from the members,
when, for example, you’ve got experts that require a and it’s coming big-time from the criminal bar,” said
lot of money up front?”
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