Posted on 01/17/2008 7:57:02 AM PST by real saxophonist
People plucked off streets, picked for emergency jury duty
Andrew Villegas, (Bio) avillegas@greeleytribune.com January 17, 2008
Karen McMillan walked into the jury room in the Weld County Courthouse on Wednesday morning trying to keep her feet from pounding the floor out of frustration.
"This is not right," McMillan told court administrators, who had minutes before served her with an emergency jury summons in the downtown Greeley Safeway.
"You need to give us warning," McMillan said. "We have jobs to go to."
McMillan was in the grocery store in downtown Greeley, 1122 11th Ave., picking up a few things and trying to get to work when she was approached by an administrator for the court and told she had to drop everything and go to the courthouse to serve, work or not.
She was one of nearly 70 people walking around downtown Greeley who were ordered to attend emergency jury duty Wednesday morning after many people who were summoned by mail six weeks ago didn't show up.
The no-shows left judges and administrators scrambling to fill jury boxes. The administrators eventually got an order from Judge Roger Klein to serve people on the street with summonses to report immediately.
Of the 200 summonses Weld County and District Court administrators sent by mail recently, only 39 people did their civic duty and reported for jury duty Wednesday morning. By early Wednesday afternoon, more than 50 people had reported to emergency jury duty, many perturbed that they had to drop everything to possibly serve on a jury.
"I have like 5 tons of stuff to do at work," McMillan said.
Karen Salaz, judicial district administrator, said the court rarely has to resort to plucking people from the street to serve on juries.
Salaz said in an e-mail that the court hadn't had to take people off the streets to serve on juries for more than 15 years before it had to in November and then again on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Meanwhile, downtown business owners were worried about a possible loss of business because they had to serve.
Beth Tadier, who owns Quarter Moon Glass Repair in downtown Greeley, was coming out of the downtown Safeway when she was handed the emergency summons and couldn't go back to her business to help her husband.
"You're just jerked off the street," Tadier said. "I was angry, but I've calmed down."
Tadier said most people don't like jury duty but that doesn't mean it's not important for everyone to do their duty.
"We live in a free country," she said. "I didn't feel very free today. But without the system, I don't know what we'd do."
The missing jurors also caused some lawyers to object to the use of emergency jurors in their trials.
Stephanie Stout, a state public defender, asked County Judge Michele Meyer Wednesday morning to stop the jurors from being placed on a jury in a drunken driving case she was defending. Stout said the method administrators used to select the jurors wasn't random and that upset people could affect the jury's ability to make an objective decision.
Meyer rejected the objection, however, and jury selection proceeded normally.
Weld District Attorney Ken Buck said it is "a disgrace" that people don't show up for jury duty.
"People don't feel like there is a consequence, but there is," Buck said.
People who don't show for jury duty face a fine or even six months in jail.
Failing to appear for jury duty also could mean some cases get dismissed if a judge feels like a defendant's Constitutional rights, such as the right to a speedy trial, aren't met, Buck said.
Buck said the court doesn't typically refer violators to the district attorney's office or the Weld Sheriff's Department but he thinks prosecution of those people is worth doing.
Failure to appear for jury duty
People who don't show up for jury duty after getting a summons in the mail could be charged with failure to obey a juror summons, a class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to a $750 fine and/or six months in jail.
Judicial press gang.
And the absent jury members were not picked up...why ???
70 jury members needed and not one on the original list were arrested ???
Mr Weld might look at his own house, the justice system in this country has developed a rather large stench.
Used to happen far more frequently, because if somebody demanded a trial the court didn't necessarily have a panel handy.
Now most courts summon jurors for trial week, with extras depending on how many cases they expect to try (kind of like the airlines overbooking.) So there's a lot of sitting around for most of the prospective jurors (and way too much excitement for some).
So now this only happens if too many veniremen just ignore the jury summons.
Sounds like this county needs to prosecute a few of the veniremen who blew off the summons . . . just to "encourage the others."
If I get pulled in off the street without warning, what are the chances I will render a guilty verdict? Less than zero. I’d let cross-dressing pedophile slashers walk.
But that wouldn't help the court's immediate problem of finding jurors, because the scofflaws are in the pokey, not ready to serve. And especially with the criminal cases there's a need to try it right now.
I saw this happen once where I work....
If they arrest me for failing to show for jury duty, can I demand a jury trial?
But a great part of that stench results from too many people ducking out of jury duty. Juries of good, smart people are at the very core of making a justice system that works. I’d bet most of the people who bellyache about the quality of the justice system are the self-same ones that dodge jury duty every time they’re called.
I wish more people would do their part with a little more enthusiasm. I’ve been on two juries in the last few years, and it’s been a fascinating experience.
Better yet, do something to cause a mistrial so they have to go do it over again -- and you're not eligible because you've already served....LOL.....
-this is INSANE.
what are the chances the person would just turn around and walk away? is there a legal obligation to be press ganged into jury duty?
If I were feeling angry over essentially being kidnaped like that, I don’t think I would be able to concentrate or focus on the case and render a sensible decision.
What happens if someone has an emergency, or is prevented from picking up a child because they are snatched off the street like that? There has to be a better way.
I’ve been summoned somewhere around 10 times in 25 years.
Only once was I empaneled - for a murder trial. The trial lasted 4 days.
On most other occasions we were released around lunch time.
I detest the jury system especially for civil cases. The jury system is forced service, just one step above slavery. I understand that the constitution requires the right to a jury trial, but I think that professional juries could still be used. The court system treats jurors poorly, not thinking anything of wasting time. For civil trials, the litigants should pay jurors.
This practice of grabbing people from the street is detestable. The legislature should prevent this practice. The court needs to find another way to ensure adequate jury pools.
They’d have to taz me to get me to go! I am the operator of a public utility (water), and I’m on 24 hour emergency call. It’s my job, and my duty, to supply continuous, safe water to several thousand people. No way would I go!
Administrator: I have an emergency summons for you. You must go to the court right now.
Me: Do you have a gun?
Administrator: No.
Me: Do you know who I am?
Administrator: No.
Me: Goodbye. (Going on about my business.)
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