FILED
RICHARD W. NAGEL
CLEm~ OF COl!RT
UNITED DISTRICT COURT 28200CT 22 PH 7: ltO
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
U.S. OISH;iCT COURT
SOUTHERN DIST.OHIO
In Re: EAS f 011/. COLUMBUS
ORDER OF PARTIAL
SEQUESTRATION FOR ALL JURY GENERAL ORDER 20-30
TRIALS AND GRAND JURY
SESSIONS HELD IN THE SOUTHERN
DISTRICT OF omo
This Court issues this General Order as an additional Order in a series of General Orders
that the Court has issued in response to the continuing spread of the Coronavirus Disease
(COVID-19) in the Southern District of Ohio and elsewhere. There are thousands of confirmed
cases of COVID-19 throughout the Southern District of Ohio generally, and in each seat of Court
in the Southern District of Ohio: Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. The Court continues to
monitor developments relating to the spread ofCOVID-19 and to make operational adjustments
that seek to preserve public access to the Court, and that enable the Court safely to perform its
customary functions, while also protecting the health of the Court's staff and the constituencies
the Court serves. The spread of COVID-19 has been so pernicious that the President of the
United States has invoked the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S. C. § 1601, et seq., and the
Governor of the State of Ohio, Mike DeWine, has declared a current COVID-19 advisory status
of red (the second highest of the four levels) for the three cities in the Southern District of Ohio
in which courthouses are located. In addition, a majority of citizens in the District live in
counties classified as red.
By General Order 20-27, this Court declared, inter alia, that criminal jury trials and other
in-Court criminal evidentiary proceedings could resume on or after October 1, 2020. That Order
further allows the grand jury to convene in a limited class of cases: thirty-day cases: ongoing
historical cases, and a limited number of economic crime cases. Moreover, the Order also allows
that, if a Judicial Officer determines that in the interests ofjustice it is necessary to proceed with
a civil jury trial or other in-Court civil proceeding, the Judicial Officer may do so. In the event
that either a criminal jury trial or evidentiary hearing proceeds, or if a civil jury trial or in-Court
civil matter must proceed, then such proceeding must be held in one of six plexiglass-equipped
courtrooms within the three federal courthouses in the Southern District of Ohio.
In light of the fact that jury trials will resume in the Southern District of Ohio pursuant to
General Order 20-27, and that grand jury sessions will occur at least in limited circumstances,
and in light of the ongoing continuous and exponential spread of COVID-19, it is necessary to
make certain provisions with respect to juror meals to ensure the safety ofjurors. Based on this
Court's findings that there exists in the Southern District of Ohio a combination of: (1) indicators
form health officials that the virus is not contained in the State of Ohio or the Southern District
of Ohio; and (2) an emergency nature of a trial or grand jury session that will not allow the Court
to delay until it is safer to call jurors to report, in my capacity as Chief Judge, I hereby enter this
Order of Partial Sequestration pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1871(e), instructing that the jurors are to
be "kept together and not to separate" for their safety and security during the time that they are at
the courthouse. With this Order, the Court may procure meals for said semi-sequestered jurors
and charge the costs of the juror meals and the delivery fee to the juror fee appropriation.
This order will remain in full force and effect until further notice.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED: October 22, 2020 ALGENON L. MARBLEY
ClliEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
