Legal News

The Verdict is In: Recession Taking Toll on Jury System

By Ashby Jones

Interesting. We might have thought that the recession would have meant good news for the stockpile of eligible jurors. More unemployed people, fewer reasons to find a way out of jury duty, fewer generally resistant to performing their civic duty.

But such is not the case, at least according to this LAT article from over the weekend (Hat tip: ABA Journal). It seems people are generally less available to afford several days away from their families or jobs. And they’re well, peeved about it. So if they’re turning up at courthouses across the country, they’re not happy about it. And that means they’re less likely to take seriously their role of impartial, level-headed finders of facts.

Writes the LAT’s Carol Williams:

In this time of double-digit unemployment and shrinking benefits for those who do have jobs, courts are finding it more difficult to seat juries for trials running more than a day or two. And in extreme cases, reluctance has escalated into rebellion, experts say.

Rebellion? Yes indeed. In a recent trial in which an LA County sheriff’s deputy was suing his former boss, the judge on the case was forced to dismiss over half of the 65 prospective jurors on hardship grounds.

After three days of mounting difficulty, lawyers for both the deputy and the sergeant waived their right to a jury trial and left the verdict up to Dunn.

“We can’t have a disgruntled jury,” said attorney Gregory W. Smith, who represents the plaintiff. He called the panel “scary” and too volatile for either side to trust.

Before the economic meltdown, reports the LAT, Los Angeles County courthouses were summoning 55,000 people a week, at $15 a day each. The county is now making do with 45,000 summonses a week — only about half of which even answered.

“There’s a lot of tension, a lot more stress people are dealing with these days,” said Gloria Gomez, director of juror services for the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on February 16, 2010 (boomark / email).