posted January 6, 2009
A tough new juror law is working almost too well for Circuit Court Paula Thompson. She was overrun with jurors on Tuesday.
Ms. Thompson said the jury assembly room filled up and there were another 100 prospective jurors out in the hallway.
Under the new law, there are no automatic exemptions and those who do not appear face a fine up to $500.
She said 720 summonses were sent out as usual for the regular jury. This time it brought in some 350 jurors.
Ms. Thompson said one reason is that driver's licenses are now used to get addresses and they are more accurate than the old method. She said typically 200 letters may come back, but this time it was only 20.
She said the next time, she will now issue 720 summonses, but far less.
Ms. Thompson said there were several other unique features on Tuesday. For one, there were two sets of twins.
Also, a delegation from Korea was at the courthouse studying the jury system prior to implementing one of their own.
Ms. Thompson on Monday said about 135 people who were called in for duty on the Grand Jury did not appear and they will be sent letters giving them one more chance to respond.
She said for those who still do not comply, they will be called before a judge to explain why they should not be fined up to $500.
Ms. Thompson said there are no longer any automatic exemptions - such as for doctors, lawyers and those who run a business by themselves.
But she said a citizen can delay the jury service for up to 12 months.
She said those with valid excuses can fax in statements from their physicians or letters about why they are needed for their business.
She said on Monday one woman showed up who was in a wheelchair and was on oxygen. She said, "The woman told me it wore her out just getting here." She was excused.
Ms. Thompson said she also excused a single mother who runs her own business out of her home.
She said a couple of 18-year-old high school students showed up, and they were sent back to school.
There formerly were jury commissioners who were involved in the jury selection process, but Ms. Thompson said that is now handled by computers. The new law does away with the jury commissioners. The Circuit Court clerk now oversees that process.
The Circuit Court clerk now handles both the regular juries and the Grand Juries. The Criminal Court clerk formerly handled the Grand Juries.
Ms. Thompson said Stormi Rogers of her office devised a helpful new juror system involving bar codes. A bar code is imprinted on the summons sent to citizens. That summons bar code is scanned when the jurors arrive at the courthouse.
Ms. Rogers said that allows court personnel to know exactly who has shown up and who has not. She said, "In the past, we might read out 20 different names and no one would stand up."
She said potential jurors also are now able to fill out their information online prior to coming to court. She said that helps in a quicker preparation of the jury list and also can be used by attorneys who have upcoming cases.
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