Judge refuses to limit jury pool based on vaccination status
DOVER, Del. (AP) — A judge says people who are not “up to date” on their COVID-19 vaccines cannot be excluded from the jury pool for a criminal trial starting next week.
Judge Joshua Wolson on Friday rejected a request by federal prosecutors in Delaware who had sought to keep out those potential jurors.
The judge said the Constitution guarantees a criminal defendant the right to a trial by an impartial jury drawn from diverse segments of the population.
Prosecutors argued that limiting the jury pool to those who have received a booster shot or a recent initial vaccine would help ensure the safety of trial participants.