MIbLAWg: Michigan Supreme Court Commentary

Law Firms Chip In to Get Happier Jurors

From Law.com:

When the National Center for State Courts wants to get something done -- like launching a program aimed at increasing juror participation -- it sometimes relies on the kindness of lawyers. The center has raised about a quarter of a million dollars, mostly from law firms, to jump-start the National Jury Program. Its vision: a court system where, as one attorney from a contributing firm put it, "jurors don't dread jury service like they're going to the dentist."

Leonard Post
The National Law Journal
01-07-2005
When The National Center for State Courts wants to get something done -- like launching a program aimed at increasing jury participation -- sometimes it relies on the kindness of lawyers.

About a quarter of a million dollars of kindness. That was the amount raised mostly from law firms that recently jump-started the National Jury Program, a project of the National Center for State Courts' Center for Jury Studies.

The center expects to provide technical assistance to states to improve the conditions under which jurors work. That means helping states to combine 21st century technology with elemental aids and old-fashioned respect to make jury service more attractive, say center officials.

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Even The Jurors Won't Show For Duty

Fla. Supreme Court: Everyone Into the Pool
State's high court wants to know why residents are no-shows when summoned for possible jury duty

Dan Christensen
Miami Daily Business Review
01-03-2005

Complaints by litigants and lawyers about the increasing difficulty of impaneling enough jurors to address complex criminal and civil cases have led Florida's top court to ask the public how to improve the state's jury system.

Besides examining juror shortages and trial scheduling problems, the high court wants to hear about the experiences of jurors themselves.

"We want to see if there's something we can do to improve the conditions of jury service," Florida Supreme Court Justice R. Fred Lewis said in an interview last month.

On Jan. 19, Lewis will be at the Hyatt Regency in Miami to attend an unprecedented public hearing seeking input from lawyers and others about their experiences with the state's jury system. The hearing, to run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is sponsored by the state Supreme Court's work group on standards for jury pool size. It will be held in conjunction with the Florida Bar's mid-year meeting.

Florida's performance at mustering jurors is dismal. Nationally, 40 percent of those summoned for jury duty show up at the courthouse. But only 30 percent answer the call in Florida, according to information from the state court administrator's office.
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