The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that a lower court’s decision to strike unvaccinated individuals from a jury during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t violate a condition included in the defendants’ right to a fair trial.

Writing for the panel, Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. said the trial judge’s orders only impacted the composition of the petit jury chosen to hear the criminal case, and not those in the broader jury pool.