NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans this week marked the return of jury trials in Orleans Parish, which resumed after being delayed for almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trials were suspended at the onset of the pandemic but briefly resumed in October 2021. In January 2022, they were once again halted due to the surge of the Omicron Variant. A total of three trials were held in 2021.
“The ongoing pandemic devastated our criminal justice system as a whole,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “When it came to a halt, it impacted our residents and the employees that work within the system. Although the men and women of the New Orleans Police Department continued to be the boots on the ground to eliminate criminal activity and keep our people safe, the entire justice system must work. This includes the District Attorney’s Office, defense attorneys, and the courts working together to operate effectively to hold people accountable for their actions. When the system does not work together, accountability does not happen.”
The pause in jury trials during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on the lives of the accused, the victims-at-large and the community. When an individual is arrested for an alleged offense, a determination is made to whether the person will be held in jail until their trial is completed or released to await the start of their trial, and prosecutors and defense attorneys must be ready to proceed to trial. For those individuals, the pause in jury trials meant being held without a judgment of guilt or innocence.