COVID Surge: San Mateo County Superior Court Suspends Jury Trials
REDWOOD CITY (CBS SF) -- San Mateo County Superior Court officials announced Monday that the court suspended jury trials through Jan. 8, 2021 due to the surge in coronavirus cases.
The order was made "Due to the significant surge in COVID-19 cases statewide, the corresponding orders for residents to stay-at-home," and an emergency order from state Supreme Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye.
The San Mateo court also closed most clerk's offices to the public and suspended walk-in transactions to minimize foot traffic. Certain in-person hearings were also suspended.
Documents filed electronically, or via mail or on-site drop boxes will still be accepted.
The Juvenile Clerk's Office at the Youth Services Center will remain open to the public.
"The closures and suspension of services are unfortunate, but are necessary to minimize public interaction and contact, which are the chief risks of community spread of the coronavirus," said Neal Taniguchi, San Mateo's court executive officer, said.
He said staffing shortages due to the state's budget crisis contributed to the suspension and curtailing of Clerk's Office services.
For more details visit www.sanmateocourt.org or contact the court at (650) 261-5016.
© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
