Judicial Process Hindered by Lack of Jurors
Press release from the Humboldt County Superior Court:
The Humboldt County Superior Court is currently facing a shortage of prospective jurors like we have never seen before. The failure of summoned jurors to appear at court for Jury Duty is causing a barrier to justice for citizens who are facing criminal charges as well as those attempting to seek civil justice in our courts. Jury Service is one of the most important ways to participate in local government while assisting your fellow citizens in obtaining justice. We realize that Jury Service can impact your daily life; however, we are imploring all summoned jurors to appear at the requested time and fulfill their civic duty.
The Humboldt County Superior Court is currently facing a shortage of prospective jurors like we have never seen before. The failure of summoned jurors to appear at court for Jury Duty is causing a barrier to justice for citizens who are facing criminal charges as well as those attempting to seek civil justice in our courts. Jury Service is one of the most important ways to participate in local government while assisting your fellow citizens in obtaining justice. We realize that Jury Service can impact your daily life; however, we are imploring all summoned jurors to appear at the requested time and fulfill their civic duty.
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Some people don’t have the luxury of being able to take a day off work to listen to someone’s excuses of why they got arrested. And some people are not willing/can’t afford to drive for 2 hrs each way either. Maybe if they compensated fairly then they’d have more people showing up.
Exactly. Pay me more than $15/day and I’ll think about it. As for now, every notice gets stuffed in the wood stove…
You only get paid for the second day and every day thereafter, first day is free for them. And you only get paid $0.34 per mile from your house … one way! So I guess once you’ve done your duty you’re stuck in Eureka. 🤷♂️
Agreed.
All the billions blown up Vladimir zelinsky’s nose could be used here at home to rescue our ailing nation.
Funding jury duty would be just a baby step
👍
Do you really think the republicans would let Democrats spend that much money on social issues?
Yes. The children of Africa digging up cobalt for one cent a day to power Prius need your help. Please donate.
Low rate imagination
Ought to be $200/day (including showing up for summons) and we’d have good participation
The wood stove is a damn good place for the summons, just don’t breathe the smoke!
How about the DA actually prosecuting criminals. How about corrupt judges stop giving suspended or low sentences. How about prosecuting and executing capital crimes. How about those actually being paid to work in the justice system start giving a shit about more than their overinflated salary. How about respecting jurors instead of treating them like a herd of cattle. How about changing the system so it is actually beneficial to serve on a jury instead of just being a waste of time.
More verbal vomit from rAlfph
Have you served? I have. It’s all true. I will never serve again in Humboldt. No amount of money could change that. No contempt charges either. There is no justice system here. All the lawyers, judges and other court officials are more deserving of prison than the “criminals.” So call it whatever you want, but it’s all a fraud.
It is a system run by and for the lawyers with way too few eligble jurors to make it a rare life time thing.
You sir are the verbal vomit in this case!
Do you want to be judged by 12 people who are not smart enough to get out of jury duty
F*** you, pay me.
Where are you at thumb’s down Farce?
I do agree with most of your philosophies however
Civic pride is an awful important thing in a community.
Is it a reflection of our authorities?
People need to be compensated for their time. Employers are not always kind about employees taking days off of work even for jury duty. To be forced to have to use vacation pay or other pay that you have to cover the wage discrepancy from the $15 pittance they dole out. Additionally, consider if you get selected you could wind up losing your job if you were assigned on a lengthy trial. So do the jurors hurry up to return to their day jobs? Is that a travesty of justice in itself? Preoccupied jurors feeling forced to be there. The feeling of civil service/public service, civic pride is not as widely spread as it used to be.
It is not legal to fire an employee for serving on a jury.
Ok, it still happens. Now most places are “at will” do not have to say why they let you go. Dont let the door hit ya. Keeps the abuses of power grossly un reported.
They have the same Philosophy with voting. Poor people can’t take the time off work.
They know what they are doing !
Your comparison is flawed. Even though you do get up to 2 hours of paid time off to go vote by law, you can always mail in your vote for free.
If you open a centrally located court a lot of southern Humboldt residents would love to help out. It takes 3 hours of driving and about $100 to get there from my house. We need court services down here (or zoom options) and we have for years. maybe it will take this to help the county finally see how this location inconvenience impacts us all?
stop letting people out of jail early !11
I wouldn’t ask to be paid handsomely… but at least to be compensated for gas money! Back and forth to town costs me about $40-$50 in gas. Maybe they haven’t adjusted for recent gas price increases. But even aside from that, just the costs of needing to buy lunch (yeah, i guess i could bring a sandwich) and get behind on all the work at home… it’s a luxury, for people financially comfortable, to be able to do jury duty. I think it might be interesting, probably eye-opening on some levels; but i can’t afford it.
List of miseries that have happened going in for jury duty:
1) being unable to know until the day before whether you need to go or not
2) if cancelled, then next month you go through the same thing and maybe the next
3) sitting in the jury assembly room, cheek to cheek with a hundred others for 3 hours then being released because the attorneys negotiated a settlement
4) sitting around for an hour in the assembly room 2 hours, an hour in the court room then released because you knew some people involved
5) being called again the very moment the grace period expired on having served, been called or having gone through the paneling process
6) spending 6 weeks (yes weeks) going every day to listen to meaningless repetitive ramblings of attorneys (the ones who weren’t asleep at their desk) who make innuendos but neither they nor the opposing attorneys offer proof details or refuting so doubt is raised but no information is given
7) the jury box chairs are worn out and lumpy
8) It is left to you to find parking each morning on the street and hope your vehicle isn’t broken into
9) having a friend tell you they dropped their summons in the trash upon receipt for 20 years with no repercussions at all
10) no limit in the number of times you are called up in your life – you never get to retire from it.
… And on and on.
If they want me for the 30th time, they can come pick me up and take me home each day.
manslaughter….manslaughter…. THE SLAUGHTER OF MAN!! (Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butthead, “Two Stupid Men”, 2022)