Jury trials can soon restart in half of state’s counties, Mississippi Supreme Court says
Published 11:07 am Friday, May 8, 2020
Half of Mississippi’s 82 counties will be able to resume jury trials after May 18 according to an order from the Mississippi Supreme Court issued Thursday evening.
In counties with two or fewer COVID-19 deaths, jury trials can resume after May 18, according to the court’s order. In counties with more than two deaths, court clerks must wait until June 15 to issue jury summonses.
Mississippi has 40 counties with two deaths or less, including Issaquena County which has had no reports of cases or deaths during the pandemic.
The order signed by Chief Justice Michael Randolph said the court is taking its direction from two doctors at the State Health Department, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs and State Epidemiologist Paul Byers.
“Based on the latest information available to the Court,” the order concludes, “we find that modification of our prior Emergency Administrative Orders is warranted.”
The order cites MSHD statistics showing that COVID-19 deaths are mostly limited to specific portions of the population:
- 43% of deaths are in long-term care facilities.
- Only seven of 39 reported deaths involved individuals without significant underlying health conditions, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, lung disease, neurological conditions, renal disease, immuno-compromised issues and liver disease.
- 88% of those who have died were 60 years old or older.
- Only one person under age 30 has died and nobody under 18 has died.
“Based on the latest information available to the Court,” the order concludes, “we find that modification of our prior Emergency Administrative Orders is warranted.”
Here is a county-by-county look at when jury trials can restart using Thursday’s numbers from MSDH:
| County | Deaths | Jury trial restart date |
| Amite | 0 | May 18 |
| Benton | 0 | May 18 |
| Claiborne | 0 | May 18 |
| Covington | 0 | May 18 |
| Issaquena | 0 | May 18 |
| Jefferson | 0 | May 18 |
| Lawrence | 0 | May 18 |
| Newton | 0 | May 18 |
| Quitman | 0 | May 18 |
| Sharkey | 0 | May 18 |
| Simpson | 0 | May 18 |
| Stone | 0 | May 18 |
| Tate | 0 | May 18 |
| Tishomingo | 0 | May 18 |
| Walthall | 0 | May 18 |
| Wayne | 0 | May 18 |
| Winston | 0 | May 18 |
| Yalobusha | 0 | May 18 |
| Alcorn | 1 | May 18 |
| Copiah | 1 | May 18 |
| Franklin | 1 | May 18 |
| George | 1 | May 18 |
| Greene | 1 | May 18 |
| Jefferson Davis | 1 | May 18 |
| Montgomery | 1 | May 18 |
| Perry | 1 | May 18 |
| Tallahatchie | 1 | May 18 |
| Webster | 1 | May 18 |
| Choctaw | 2 | May 18 |
| Grenada | 2 | May 18 |
| Jasper | 2 | May 18 |
| Leake | 2 | May 18 |
| Marshall | 2 | May 18 |
| Noxubee | 2 | May 18 |
| Panola | 2 | May 18 |
| Pontotoc | 2 | May 18 |
| Prentiss | 2 | May 18 |
| Tunica | 2 | May 18 |
| Warren | 2 | May 18 |
| Yazoo | 2 | May 18 |
| Attala | 3 | June 15 |
| Carroll | 3 | June 15 |
| Clay | 3 | June 15 |
| Coahoma | 3 | June 15 |
| Lafayette | 3 | June 15 |
| Lowndes | 3 | June 15 |
| Sunflower | 3 | June 15 |
| Union | 3 | June 15 |
| Washington | 3 | June 15 |
| Calhoun | 4 | June 15 |
| Humphreys | 4 | June 15 |
| Jones | 4 | June 15 |
| Lamar | 4 | June 15 |
| Lee | 4 | June 15 |
| Oktibbeha | 4 | June 15 |
| Desoto | 5 | June 15 |
| Scott | 5 | June 15 |
| Clarke | 6 | June 15 |
| Harrison | 6 | June 15 |
| Itawamba | 6 | June 15 |
| Kemper | 6 | June 15 |
| Rankin | 6 | June 15 |
| Smith | 6 | June 15 |
| Marion | 7 | June 15 |
| Bolivar | 8 | June 15 |
| Chickasaw | 9 | June 15 |
| Hancock | 9 | June 15 |
| Pike | 9 | June 15 |
| Wilkinson | 9 | June 15 |
| Tippah | 10 | June 15 |
| Adams | 11 | June 15 |
| Hinds | 11 | June 15 |
| Jackson | 11 | June 15 |
| Neshoba | 11 | June 15 |
| Lincoln | 12 | June 15 |
| Madison | 12 | June 15 |
| Holmes | 16 | June 15 |
| Forrest | 18 | June 15 |
| Leflore | 18 | June 15 |
| Monroe | 20 | June 15 |
| Pearl River | 24 | June 15 |
| Lauderdale | 40 | June 15 |
