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Monday, February 14, 2011
Ind. Courts - More on "Budget cuts end free lunch for Lake County civil court juries"
IU-Indy Law Prof Joel Schumm sends a note about yesterday's ILB entry that quoted from Bill Dolan's NWI Times story. Schumm writes:
Interesting story about Lake County. I wonder what the practice is around the rest of the state?The NWI Times story mentioned that there were few restaurants near the Gary courthouse of Judge Gerald Svetanoff and quoted the judge that if the weather was bad and if jurors went out to eat they might not have a parking place when they came back.
When I worked for Judge Miller as a bailiff while attending night school (1995-98), the county paid for jurors' lunches for a couple of years and then stopped. (We would usually take them to the Cozy or another nearby restaurant. I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the jurors during lunch and observe the group dynamic at work.) Unless something changed, I assume there have been no free juror lunches in Marion County for at least a decade.
Sending jurors out on their own during a short lunch recess is not ideal. Some are not familiar with downtown and may get lost or return late. Most go to the City Market or nearby and could end up inadvertently overhearing conversations between witnesses, family members, etc. in the case.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 14, 2011 08:34 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts