photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Douglas County District Court Chief Judge James McCabria stands at the table that will be the judge's bench during jury trials and discusses new technology to be used, including lapel microphones for attorneys, at the Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Dec. 18, 2020. Although the building is large, McCabria demonstrated that the sound system amplifies even soft speech. Behind the black curtain is a small table for brief bench conferences outside of the hearing of the jury.

For all intents and purposes, the Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds was ready on Friday afternoon to hold jury trials, though a few finishing touches aren’t yet in place.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, judges and staff of the Douglas County District Court developed a plan for resuming jury trials safely early next year, and the new location is part of that. Chief Judge James McCabria said Friday that health department staff members had come to see the setup and had signed off. In addition, McCabria said that about 40 attorneys and some judges, bailiffs and court staff had come to an open house on Thursday and Friday to see it for themselves.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Chairs are spaced apart at the Flory Meeting Hall of the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Dec. 18, 2020. Douglas County District Court made plans to hold jury trials at the building beginning in 2021.

George Diepenbrock, a spokesperson for Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, said via email Friday that the department was appreciative of the court’s collaboration with LDCPH staff to ensure compliance with public health orders, reduce the risk of COVID-19 and provide a venue for restarting jury trials — “a crucial function of our judicial system,” he said.

“We believe anyone who participates in the process should feel safe with the distancing and other protocols that are in place,” Diepenbrock said.

Potential jurors will enter the meeting hall, where court security officers will take their temperatures and ask a few health screening questions. Then they’ll enter the jury selection room, which can safely seat up to 30 people at a time in addition to the judge, parties and court staff, McCabria said. Trials that need bigger jury pools will bring in panels at staged intervals.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Douglas County District Court Chief Judge James McCabria discusses how jury selection will work at the Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. When prospective jurors need to answer questions, the bailiff will carry the microphone stand to them to avoid multiple people touching the microphone.

Because court proceedings will still be livestreamed on YouTube for public access for the time being, prospective jurors will not be addressed by name, but by number. As people answer questions during jury selection, the bailiff will carry a microphone to them to avoid having multiple people touching the same microphone.

Trials will be held on the other side of the collapsible wall that divides the meeting hall in half.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

The “jury box” at Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds is pictured on Dec. 18, 2020. The 14 jurors’ chairs — for a jury of 12, plus two alternates — are spaced apart from each other. Attorneys will stand at the lectern to question witnesses. Plastic storage boxes like the ones pictured on the floor under the table will be used as evidence bins.

The 14 chairs of the jury box are distanced from one another and separated from the rest of the “courtroom” by red velvet ropes. On each chair is a plastic bag containing a pen, a notepad, tissues, mints and hand sanitizer. Jurors will be asked to try to keep the personal items they bring with them confined to the bag, if possible.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Lying on each juror’s chair at the Douglas County Fairgrounds will be a plastic bag that contains a pen, notepad, tissues, mints and hand sanitizer. One such bag is pictured on Dec. 18, 2020. Jurors will be asked to try to keep the personal items they bring with them confined to the bag, if possible.

Witnesses who testify will wear plastic face shields instead of masks so that jurors can see their faces, but so that there will still be protection from respiratory droplets. McCabria said he thought the court had enough face shields to get through the jury trial backlog.

The tables at the meeting hall were bare Friday, but they will be covered with table skirts when jury trials commence, McCabria said. Electronic cords will be covered, and there might be some carpet runners, plus a mat at the lectern from which attorneys will question witnesses.

Also, McCabria said he plans to display the flag of Kansas and an American flag, and perhaps put the state seal on the wall — something to make the aesthetic a little more like a courtroom. He said he believes solemnity is important in court proceedings.

The judge’s bench is a table identical to all the others — white with black metal folding legs. McCabria said he had been asked whether the “bench” might be elevated the way it is in the courtroom. He said that’s a possibility, but he was concerned that it could create a fall risk and the table would need to be on a fairly large platform.

Attorneys can show exhibits on a projector. They will also wear lapel microphones so they can be heard even as they move around — though McCabria noted that it may be an adjustment for some to remember to turn their lapel mics off when they need to speak quietly with their clients.

McCabria demonstrated Friday that the microphones like the one that will sit at the witness stand have a good range and can pick up even soft speech so jurors should be able to hear clearly. The building is also equipped with a T-coil hearing loop for hearing aid users.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

A large screen, pictured at the Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Dec. 18, 2020, will allow parties in jury trials to keep an eye on the YouTube livestreams. Judges will sit at the table in front of the screen, and they can switch between camera presets to show the witness stand or exhibits on a projector.

A large TV screen will allow the parties involved in the trial to keep an eye on the YouTube livestream of the proceedings. It’s angled so that the camera on top won’t be pointing at the jury box at any time and the screen won’t be a distraction for jurors, McCabria said. If the numbers permit it, the meeting hall could be opened up to allow members of the public to attend trials in person, McCabria said, but watching online will still be an option.

Defendants and their counsel and prosecutors or plaintiffs will each have a conference room available where they can have confidential conversations. Those rooms are small, but they have their own vents for good air exchange, McCabria said. The “judge’s chambers” will occupy a small kitchenette.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Douglas County District Court Chief Judge James McCabria stands in the small kitchenette at the Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Dec. 18, 2020. The room will serve as the judge’s chambers during jury trials.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

A small kitchenette at the Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, pictured on Dec. 18, 2020, will serve as the judge’s chambers during jury trials.

The exact setup for jury deliberations is not yet decided, but it is possible that the jurors will get the meeting hall to themselves; judges, attorneys and parties in cases would be able to wait in one of the other fairgrounds buildings.

Another building at the fairgrounds, Building 21, is even larger than the Flory Meeting Hall and could be available to the court if needed. McCabria said the arrangements of the fairgrounds might be preferable for jury selection and for long trials even after the pandemic is under control.

Trials are all currently scheduled for a little bit longer than they’re actually expected to last to allow for some wiggle room and to address any unforeseen issues that might arise. As of Friday, the plan was to start them back up again beginning Jan. 11.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St., is pictured on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. Douglas County District Court made plans to use the building for jury trials once they resume in 2021.

Related coverage

• Nov. 17, 2020: Douglas County’s jury trial plan approved; court can use fairgrounds buildings to allow for social distancing

• Nov. 1, 2020: New public access issues arise in Douglas County Court cases months into pandemic

• Oct. 18, 2020: Technology limitations, pandemic changes create concerns as Douglas County inmates try to navigate court system

• July 13, 2020: COVID-19 precautions, ‘technical difficulties’ hinder public access to court hearing in Lawrence murder case

• May 25, 2020: Some pandemic-related efficiencies here to stay, Douglas County District Court chief judge says

• May 19, 2020: Many Douglas County District Court hearings to be livestreamed on YouTube; some appointments being scheduled

• May 10, 2020: Is the Douglas County Jail’s inmate population decrease amid COVID-19 sustainable? Law enforcement isn’t optimistic

• April 12, 2020: Expanding use of videoconferencing keeps Douglas County District Court moving forward; some challenges persist

• April 7, 2020: Douglas County district attorney: 14 inmates released from jail amid COVID-19; some community service hours waived in diversion cases

• March 22, 2020: Speedy trial rights are on hold in Kansas. What does that mean for defendants?

• March 17, 2020: Douglas County District Court delays most hearings, jury trials amid COVID-19 concerns

• March 13, 2020: Douglas County District Court limits public presence in courtrooms, hallways amid COVID-19 outbreak

• March 13, 2020: Some Douglas County Jail inmates could be released on furloughs if sick or at risk of COVID-19