Skip to main content
Cloudy icon
77º

Chief judge suspends Miami-Dade County jury trials amid COVID surge

Miami-Dade County Circuit Chief Judge Nushin G. Sayfie (MDCC)

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Circuit Chief Judge Nushin G. Sayfie issued an order to temporarily halt all jury trials in Miami-Dade courts.

Sayfie, who judges elected in February, made the “Jury Trial Moratorium” announcement via e-mail on Thursday night to members of Miami-Dade County’s legal community.

Recommended Videos



“We have at all times been guided by the science,” Sayfie wrote in the e-mail.

Sayfie wrote she made the decision after a meeting with public health experts and attorneys to discuss the ongoing surge in COVID cases.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle sent an e-mail to about 1,200 employees announcing Sayfie’s temporary suspension.

“The experts anticipate that there should be a substantial decrease in our community infection rate within the upcoming weeks,” Fernandez Rundle wrote. “I anticipate we will be going back to full steam ahead shortly thereafter.”

Earlier this week, Fernandez Rundle welcomed a Nomi Health testing station at the Graham Building to provide unlimited free testing to prosecutors and staff.

Related e-mails

E-mail by Sayfie

This is a portion of an e-mail sent by Miami-Dade County Circuit Chief Judge Nushin G. Sayfie on Thursday night. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

E-mail by Fernandez Rundle

This is a portion of the e-mail Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle sent to SAO employees on Thursday. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

About the Author
Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

Loading...

Recommended Videos