By Diana L. Coleman
Legal News
The Muskegon County Jury Commission held a meet and greet event on April 20, 2010, to give county residents, the legal community, and others the opportunity to meet the commissioners and learn more about the jury selection process.
Nancy A. Waters, Muskegon County Clerk, along with other county department heads, submitted ideas to the County Administrator, Bonnie Hammersley, on how the public could be made aware of the function of various county services. The idea to meet and greet with the jury commission was one of the ideas selected.
The event was held in the jury selection room on the sixth floor of the Michael E. Kobza Hall of Justice. The timing was excellent as there were several jury trials scheduled for April 20 and the jury pool was provided with first-hand instruction and information from the commissioners.
The Muskegon County Jury Commission consists of three county residents. Serving at this time are Dr. Luther Dease (Chairman), Judy Wisniewski, and L. Anne Nelson. Nancy A. Waters is the Clerk of the Jury Commission. The commissioners also work very closely with Marcia Wilks, the county’s Deputy Clerk.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees all people, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status, the right to trial by an impartial jury. Justice ultimately depends to a large measure upon the quality of the jurors who serve in our courts.
To meet the needs of the trials scheduled in Muskegon County, the Commissioners mail jury questionnaires three times a year to county residents who qualify, or as often as needed to create the jury pools. Dr. Dease explained, “We have a criteria sheet for selection of potential jurors. We are getting many questionnaires returned due to the current economic situation. Due to the high unemployment in the area, many people have left the county to seek employment; others may fail to report a change of address. We [the commission] must examine all the returned as undeliverable questionnaires and determine if they are still in the area by running a postal check or if they are no longer in the county. These corrections must be made before the next batch of questionnaires is mailed.”
The jurors are selected randomly from the State of Michigan Driver’s License list and Personal Identification Cardholder list for individuals residing in Muskegon County. The selection method is designed to produce a cross section of the community.
In discussing the diversity of a jury pool, Dr. Dease said, “It is tough. We are working on this issue all the time. It is very important to the person on trial to have diverse representation on the jury. Some minority residents are either not registered voters or do not hold a valid driver’s license so their names do not appear on the State of Michigan’s list of eligible jury candidates.” It is a challenge that faces jury commissioners in many counties in the state.
To be eligible for jury service you must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Muskegon County, 18 years of age or older, be able to communicate in the English language, be physically and mentally able to carry out the functions of a juror. Temporary inability shall not be considered a disqualification. You must not have served as a petit or grand juror, in a court of record, during the preceding 12 months, and never been convicted of a felony.
There are various reasons a person may be excused from or deferred from jury duty, but those reasons must be on the criteria list for juror excusal or deferral.
The Muskegon County judiciary takes the responsibility of jury duty very seriously. Failure to appear for jury duty generates a Summons for a Show Cause hearing to the no-show potential juror. If the party fails to appear for the show cause hearing, a bench warrant will then be issued and the party is subject to arrest. It is the duty of each American citizen to serve jury duty when called. Of the 80 potential jurors called to appear on April 20, only 56 actually appeared. This means that the court system will now have to prepare and serve 24 residents with a Notice to Show Cause. If the party does not appear at the hearing, the court must prepare bench warrants for the non-appearing party. This creates a large amount of additional work for the commission, the clerks, the judges, and costs the county additional funds at the taxpayers’ expense.
If you have questions about serving on a jury, the county clerk has an extensive brochure prepared that thoroughly explains the process.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
