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Monday, October 22, 2007
Ind. Courts - Still more on "Marion Superior Court judges plan to start cracking down on prospective jurors who don't show up on the days they're assigned"
Updating this ILB entry from last Saturday, Oct. 20th, Jon Murray of the Indianapolis Star reports this afternoon that:
More people than usual reported for jury duty this morning in Marion Superior Court, spurred by the judges' vow to call no-shows back to court and institute penalties. * * *Starting today, jurors who don't show when their groups are called in will hear from the court. Summonses will go out to the remaining 45 percent or so who didn't come this morning. They'll face a judge, who will give them a new date for jury duty. If they fail to show again, they will be held in contempt of court.
Penalties could include community service and, in some instances, time in jail.
Today's turnout, 55 percent, might not seem significant, but it beat the 41 percent who showed up a week earlier, well short of the courts' requests on a particularly busy day. The result was delays to the start of at least two trials.
Judge Mark Stoner, who oversees the jury pool, aims to drive turnout up permanently. Last year, 52 percent of those called for a given day didn't show up. The number fluctuates, but it's edged closer to 60 percent lately.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 22, 2007 01:42 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts