Oath Keepers trial juror replaced after testing positive for Covid-19
Members of the Oath Keepers on trial in Washington
By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN
The trial of five Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy resumed Tuesday morning after a juror who tested positive for Covid-19 was dismissed.
The juror, a White woman who works at an education nonprofit, tested positive Monday evening, District Judge Amit Mehta said.
“Based on my consultation with medical professionals, the exposure to Covid last Friday.. is fairly minimal,” Mehta said, noting that the juror was asymptomatic. But, Mehta said, there is “some possibility of having been exposed yesterday, in particular during the lunch hour.”
The new juror is a Black man, who told the judge during jury selection that he works at a Washington, DC, youth center and said that he gets most of his information from Fox News.
The jury is now made up of 12 jurors and three alternates, including nine men and six women.
Mehta has required everyone in the courtroom to wear a mask unless they are speaking for the entirety of the trial to avoid any outbreaks that might delay court proceedings.
The court staff will make tests available for the jurors and lawyers every day, Mehta said, and he proposed they be required to test before they come in for the rest of the week.
“We have explained the situation to the jurors, and they are ready to proceed,” the judge added later.
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