The jury in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial has been asked to deliberate over the holiday weekend, including on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and January 2, The New York Post reported.
On Wednesday morning, the jurors submitted a message to Judge Alison Nathan, requesting five transcripts of trial testimony and confirmation on whether they would have to continue to deliberate through the holiday weekend.
According to the report, Nathan said that they should prepare to meet on December 31, January 1, and January 2, but that they might bring up any schedule difficulties they might have.
"If this schedule presents a substantial hardship for anyone because of unmovable commitments, please let Ms. Williams know," Nathan wrote, in a reference to her courtroom deputy.
However, the judge emphasized that she did not intend for this schedule to put any pressure on the jurors, and that they should take as much time as they need to reach a decision.
On the day prior, Nathan substantiated her proposal by noting that the stringent schedule is required due to an "astronomical surge" in COVID-19 cases in the city, and the risk that a juror or a trial participant would become ill and require quarantine.
According to the judge, the busy schedule of jury meetings is necessary in order to "avoid a mistrial as a result of the omicron variant."
In their turn, the jury told Nathan on Tuesday that they were "making progress" in their deliberations.
Maxwell was recently denied a request to spend Christmas, along with her birthday, outside the Manhattan jail where she has been held for over a year. If convicted, she faces up to 80 years in prison.