Last week I posted about serving on a Jury. While I had been called to jury duty numerous times it was my first time to actually serve on a jury. With a few exceptions the overall experience was very positive. It was great seeing strangers come together to determine if an accused is guilty or not-guilty. We all had other things to do but we all stepped up and did our duty as citizens.
But, as with everything, there is always room for improvement. The post caught the attention of Matt Murphy who commented they were looking for volunteers to offer suggestions for improvement to the process. I emailed him back and he sent me the following to post here:
Each year more than 5,000 city residents serve on a jury in Circuit Court. While it is true that many consider it an inconvenience, it is also true that jury duty is the cornerstone of our judicial system and it is one of the most important duties a citizen can perform for his/her country.
St. Louis Circuit Court is looking for some former jurors to volunteer their time to meet with Court officials and provide feedback on the jury duty experience (when and where will depend on the availability of the group.)
After listening to the group, the Court will use those ideas and suggestions to find areas for improvement – making the jury duty process as efficient and convenient as possible for all city residents.
If you are interested in being a part of this jury advisory group, please contact the Court’s public information officer, Matt Murphy at 622-5685 or by email at: mmurphy@courts.mo.gov
I’ve already told him I’d volunteer but I wanted to get the ball rolling online so here are my initial thoughts.
As mentioned in my prior post, Wi-Fi in the jury assembly room is a must. This would allow business persons (or anyone) to bring their laptop and continue working until called to be on a panel. On a previous time I spent two days there but was never called. The third morning we were released.
Having an area with computer tables with outlets goes hand in hand with working on the internet. Trying to use a laptop in the middle of a row of theater type seats is far from ideal. Access to outlets is important for longer periods.
While Wi-Fi would improve the waiting process, eliminating the wait is even better. My oldest brother lives in Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay area where they have a far better system (see website). The county is large both in terms of geography and population (nearly 1.5 million persons). They have six courthouses where jurors may be called to serve.
But when you receive a summons to serve you can log into a website to respond or request a different date. So you need not wait until you have time during the week to call to explain that you have a business trip that week – you can do so at 3am on a Sunday morning if that works best for your schedule. Â From this site you can also see when to report on the week you are to serve:
Instructions for Summoned Jurors
- Read the summons: The address, date and time of your appearance is written on the summons you were mailed. You may request to reschedule your jury service to a more convenient time by logging on to our E-juror website at https://ejuror.alameda.courts.ca.gov/. This website will also allow you to excuse yourself with limited conditions. No postponements or excuses will be granted on your day of appearance.
- Inform your employer: Your employer must allow you time off for jury duty. Employers cannot discharge an employee called for jury service as long as the employee gives reasonable notice of the summons.
- Call to receive reporting time. Your summons will have instructions directing you when to start calling to find out if you must report on your first day.
- Your day in court: Plan to attend court as a juror all day from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The time you are released will depend on the court’s schedule. Please dress appropriately. Shorts, tank tops or bare feet are not permissible.
So my brother and sister-in-law can check in with the court to see when they are to report. If it is Tuesday 10am then they can go to work on Monday and sleep in a bit on Tuesday. This system is web or phone based so it should work for everyone. Waiting is done at home, not in the court building.
This reduces the massive crowds of people all showing up at the same time. It also reduces the need for parking as jurors dates are shifted based on need. Perhaps courts in other parts of the country have an even better process but this is the slickest I’ve ever heard of.
So share your ideas below for Matt Murphy and others at the court to read. If you can, email him about volunteering on a citizen committee to suggest improvements. They have opened the door for suggestions so now it is up to us to tell them what we want.
