SAN ANTONIO – When the coronavirus pandemic forced a moratorium on jury service in Bexar County courtrooms, the only way cases could be resolved is through hearings.
While some cases are still being resolved by “in person” hearings, many cases are being handled remotely with an online video conferencing program called Zoom.
But the program has “serious issues,” Administrative Judge Ron Rangel said Wednesday. Among the problems: a lack of efficiency in certain cases.
“We did a Zoom plea with a guy who was on bond,” Rangel said. “That typically takes five minutes in the courtroom, but it took us about an hour to do it.”
COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t stop Bexar County grand juries from meeting
With no juries available, hearings and pleas are the only way to resolve a case.
“There really is no incentive for certain types of cases to work out without the idea that there’s going to be a jury trial," Rangel said.
The result: Cases being reset, which has already created a huge backlog.
“The dockets have been impacted significantly,” Rangel said. “A week ago, each of the 10 criminal district courts was over 100 cases beyond it’s docket.”
Judge may tighten courthouse COVID-19 restrictions
Despite the issues, Rangel predicts remote hearings are likely here to stay.
“We’re going to figure out some way to ensure that these remote hearings are probably going to be a permanent part of the system," he said.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT: