Multnomah County Courthouse to Resume Jury Trials Today

Today’s announcement signals a shift toward resuming business as usual at the courthouse.

Multnomah County Courthouse (Another Believer / Wikimedia Commons)
By Tess Riski

On Monday, May 4, Multnomah County Circuit Court will resume jury trials for the first time since the pandemic began, district attorney spokesman Brent Weisberg said.

Until now, Multnomah County judges held most hearings via teleconference for defendants not currently detained, as WW previously reported. Many trials had been postponed to May or June in order to maintain social distancing in courtrooms during the peak of the state's COVID-19 outbreak.

Today, jury selection will begin in a sexual assault case, State of Oregon v. Michael Frank Moody. County prosecutors filed their indictment against Moody in October 2019. Moody is charged with rape, assault, unlawful use of a weapon, kidnapping and coercion.

Also noteworthy: Jurors must hand down a unanimous 12-0 verdict to convict Moody, following the U.S. Supreme Court's April 20 decision in Ramos v. Louisiana. Before then, Oregon juries needed just 10 votes to convict a defendant of all charges except murder. Moody's trial is the first held in the Mulnomah County Courthouse since Oregon joined the other 49 states in requiring unanimous verdicts.

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