“Is Anywhere Safe for a Jury Trial During the Covid-19 Pandemic? Try a School Gym,” by WSJ’s Rebecca Davis O’Brien:

“In the remote Kootenai Valley of northwestern Montana, the Libby Middle High School gymnasium has always been the main venue for youth sports and awards ceremonies. Beginning next month, it will become a courtroom. …

“State courts handle about 106,000 trials each year, tens of thousands of which have already been delayed because of the coronavirus shutdowns, said Paula Hannaford-Agor, director of the center for jury studies at the National Center for State Courts, a nonprofit organization now leading Covid-19 response groups of judges and court administrators from around the country. … The result will be a patchwork of cautious improvisations, reflecting distinct court rules, local public-health guidance and the varying tolls Covid-19 has taken state to state. The proceedings — whether in gymnasiums or in reconfigured courtrooms or online — will bear little resemblance to the formal trials familiar to most Americans.”