Juries Halted, Staff Sick, U.S. Trial Courts Cope With Virus (1)

Federal district courts are slowing the wheels of justice in historic ways as they grapple with sick employees and other fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

District, or trial, courts make up the bulk of the federal judiciary and are uniformly on the front lines for both criminal and civil cases.

A Bloomberg Law analysis of orders and court websites shows that despite their decentralized nature and freedom to formulate their own responses, the majority of the nation’s 94 U.S. district courts are taking similar steps to address the swiftly unfolding crisis.

The analysis also shows that, as of March 26, ...