Jury Duty: It's Not What You Might Expect
The Ninth Judicial Circuit is nationally recognized for its progressive and innovative jury operations...
Need
daycare? No problem. Want to watch cable TV while you wait? No problem.
Need a ride to the courthouse to serve on jury duty? No problem. Need
to hook up your laptop while waiting to go into a courtroom? No problem.
Want to postpone jury duty because of a scheduled trip? No problem. Want
to learn about jury duty before arriving to the courthouse and have access
to a computer? No problem. Want to surf the Internet? No problem.
In the words of an editorial opinion published in the Orlando Sentinel, “Jury service is a key responsibility of citizenship. Orange County is doing a good job of making juror service as painless as possible.”
Why
Jury Duty?
Jury duty serves as a cornerstone of one of the fundamental guarantees
found in the U.S. Constitution - - the right to trial by a jury of one’s
peers. Florida’s Constitution guarantees that any person accused
of committing a crime in the state has a right to a jury trial. Florida’s
jury selection process is governed by Chapter 40 of the Florida Statutes.
Who
serves?
The list of prospective jurors is drawn from those who possess Florida
driver’s licenses or identification cards issued by the Florida
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Jurors are required to
serve one day or the length of one trial.
Under
the Chief Judge
In the Ninth Judicial Circuit, Court Administration, under the direction
of the Chief Judge, is responsible for operating jury services. Since
assuming responsibility from the Clerks of Court in 1991, numerous changes
have been made which have resulted in fiscal savings and improved juror
use. For example in 2002 in Orange County, over 90 percent of jurors who
reported for jury duty were sent to courtrooms for voir dire as compared
to only 40 percent in 1990. Jury services have been successfully streamlined
through a comprehensive approach to jury management. The Chief Judge has
balanced the needs of the trial docket with jury operations, resulting
in a efficiently run system.
The jury staff in Orange and Osceola Counties, under the direction of the Judges, work to ensure that everyone called to fulfill their patriotic requirement finds jury duty to be a positive experience. The staff, who are known for their cooperative, smiling nature, are good-natured complaining from the jurors and also expect many who are called for jury duty to be nervous. The Ninth Judicial Circuit Court has worked to ensure that reporting for jury duty is not an inconvenience, or simply a day away from work, but rather it is a rewarding public experience - - one that leaves you with a renewed respect for the American judicial system.