The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of life and work, but the Grant County Circuit Court continues on with adjustments and technology.

Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters issued a revised order restricting in-person hearings on March 16, which has been adjusted as the pandemic continues.

“Primarily, we have moved all jury trials except those that have to be done because of statutory requirements,” said Senior Judge William D. Cramer Jr., who is presiding over Grant County Circuit Court. “We’re not doing jury trials unless we have to, but I do have one in-custody criminal case, and if I don’t release, then we’ll have to do a jury trial.”

Cramer said, if a jury trial is needed, jury selection will be conducted and people will be kept 6 feet apart from each other in the courtroom and the jury room. Cramer said the court hopes to avoid putting people in this situation, but there is a cleaning protocol the court follows.

“We are putting off as many jury trials as possible until June 1,” Cramer said.

There has also been a reduction in the amount of staff present at the circuit court, and many employees are starting to work from home. The court is maintaining two staff at the office, Cramer said.

Cramer advises the public to call the court ahead of time to see if the matter can be resolved by phone. If something needs to be brought in, a dropbox is set up at the office. The court is not doing any face-to-face discussion with the public, he said.

The court is also helping people by directing them to online resources to obtain documents.

Technology can also help maintain social distancing. Cramer said the courts in Eastern Oregon have been prepared, thanks to their experience using technology to accommodate for rural, remote areas.

“What we’ve been working on is getting really good conference calling information out to our partners so they can share that with their clients, and phone appearance is what we’ve been doing most of,” said Tammy Wheeler, the trial court administrator for Grant and Harney counties’ 24th Judicial District. “We have video conferencing in both of our court rooms in Grant and Harney, and those link up with our jails so that’s how we handle our in-custody matters.”

Wheeler said a challenge has been that the Polycom video equipment the court uses is not compatible with Skype, Zoom and other video call services.

“We’re working towards a product called Cisco WebEx, and we’re getting ready to test this out with attorneys the first part of next week, and if you have the app, litigants, attorneys and witnesses will be able to use it,” Wheeler said. “There seems to be a desire with the attorneys to have a video conference where they can see their clients because they’re trying to avoid contact with people as well.”

Cramer said the software chosen is much less likely to get hacked or have information sold to another company by outside sources. Cramer added the judicial branch is carefully planning this out to protect people who call in or sign up for something like WebEx.

“The courts are open, and when crimes are committed, they are going to be addressed and people can still be held accountable,” Cramer said. “We’re addressing what we can address and at the same time trying to protect staff and the public.”

“The courts are open and when crimes are committed, they are going to be addressed and people can still be held accountable.”

—Senior Judge William D. Cramer Jr.