NCJ Number
80587
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Directed to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, this comment observes that little improvement in juror utilization has occurred since 1975, when the General Accounting Office reported that juror utilization practices should be improved.
Abstract
The absence of improvement is thought to be a result of (1) many district courts not using efficient juror utilization practices, (2) the judicial councils not assuming an active role over district jury usage practices, and (3) the judiciary not having adequate information on jury management practices. These findings are the result of a study conducted in the western district of Washington, the northern district of California, the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council, the Federal Judicial Center, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The study found that two factors are contributing to rising jury costs (payments to unused jurors increased 50 percent from 1976 to 1980): the Jury Systems Improvement Act of 1978 increased daily attendance fees from $20 to $30 and also increased mileage and subsistence rates, and the 1978 Federal Judgeship Act increased the number of Federal judgeships by 117, thereby ensuring that the number of cases tried will increase along with juror usage and costs. Thus, attention must be paid to reducing costs by increasing juror usage efficiency. Recommended ways of doing this include pooling jurors, using multiple voir dire, setting deadlines in civil trials, and setting deadlines for pleas in criminal trials. Setting deadlines improves juror utilization by not scheduling and selecting jurors for trials that subsequently are settled at the last minute. Tables are included.