American Bar Association / Busines Law Today. Volume 19, Number 5 May/June 2010: Jurors jump back
With continuing high unemployment and people focused on keeping their jobs, courts are running into difficulties holding onto jurors more than a day or two, reports an article in the Los Angeles Times. In an action being heard in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, one juror’s outburst emboldened other jury members to express disdain for the case and raised concerns about their ability to be fair, leading both parties to let the judge decide the outcome. Jury consultants and courtroom administrators note that more hardship claims are being made by potential jurors, especially by those involved with long cases. According to court statistics, more than a quarter of all qualified jurors were released on hardship grounds in 2009. „The economic situation has really put attorneys and judges in an awkward position of having to say to someone who is the sole wage earner in a family or someone who is self-employed and doesn’t get paid when they don’t work that they have to serve, and we have more and more of those,“ said Jaine E. Fraser, a psychologist and jury consultant. People on the edge tend to be more sympathetic with victims bringing suit, so excluding them from the jury on hardship grounds can disadvantage plaintiffs, Fraser said. However, she noted, it’s also risky to force people into jury service that will cut into their paychecks
