(Reuters) – The coronavirus pandemic has begun to impact the U.S. court system, halting civil and criminal jury trials in high-profile venues such as Manhattan’s federal court and delaying a $1 billion trial against Elon Musk that was slated to begin Monday.
FILE PHOTO: General view outside the Supreme Court building as the court hears oral arguments in the Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue case in Washington, U.S., January 22, 2020. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File Photo
The postponements are raising questions about how courts will protect criminal defendants’ rights to a speedy trial, clear a backlog of hundreds of thousands of asylum cases and resolve high-profile corporate disputes.
“It’s all happening at the speed of light,” said Eric Tennen, a criminal defense lawyer in Massachusetts. “It’s just crazy. I don’t know what’s what anymore.”
Courts are taking piecemeal approaches to addressing the spread of the virus.
Federal and state courts from Massachusetts to…
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