Courts

Ghislaine Maxwell Deliberations Running Late To Beat The Omicron Clock

Remember the part in 12 Angry Men where they had to avoid catching swine flu?

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Courtroom in the time of CovidLawyers have to work late hours, why not jurors? No one wants to use and abuse jurors like first-year associates, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s time to earn that $50/day!!!

The Ghislaine Maxwell trial needs to come to a conclusion soon. From the perspective of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, it’s time to put an end to a lengthy nightmare. From Maxwell’s perspective, it’s time for some kind of resolution after beginning the year held in cruel and unusual conditions. The jury entered deliberations the other day, but there’s a lot to sort through.

Potentially too much given the situation in the country right now. And that’s why Judge Alison Nathan is asking jurors to work longer days:

Nathan’s comments about Omicron’s looming threat were meant to give context to statements she made to jurors on Monday afternoon. Then, Nathan told the men and women of the jury they should be prepared to stay until at least 6pm each day, until they reach a verdict.

On Tuesday morning, she told attorneys: “In light of the variant, my concern about interruption of trial, given increasing daily risk of exposure, to either a juror or trial participant, requiring quarantine, it is time to have the jurors make plans to continue deliberating until a verdict is reached.”

Omicron has rolled through New York the way Sherman rolled through Atlanta. Every day, another person tells me they just tested positive. For the vaccinated, the symptoms haven’t been that bad, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to stay home lest they spread it to someone else. Judge Nathan is trying to get this finished — but not rushed — before the inevitable strikes this trial.

And if other judges aren’t doing the same thing, they really should.

Ghislaine Maxwell: jury weighs charges as judge warns Covid could derail trial [The Guardian]

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HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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