36th District Court announces same day cash payments to jurors
The 36th District Court announced last week that beginning November 1 jurors will be paid in cash on the same day as their jury service. Citizens appearing for jury duty will no longer have to wait six to eight weeks to receive payment for their service.
State law dictates rates for juror mileage at $.20 per mile and compensation at $30 for the first day of service and $45 for the second day and each day thereafter. However, the 36th District Court compensates their jurors at a higher flat rate of $10 per day for mileage plus the daily compensation rate.
Chief Judge Nancy M. Blount stated, “We are very excited to offer this new convenience to our valued jurors. We are always exploring new ways to broaden citizen participation in the jury system. We recognized that some of our citizens who truly wanted to fulfill their civic duty simply could not due to the lack of cash on hand to pay for parking in and around the Court.”
Blount added, “Paying our jurors daily, in cash, will resolve that issue and eliminate the inconvenient, lengthy six- to eight-week wait for our citizens to receive payment for their service.”
Court Administrator Kelli Moore Owen stated, “Jury duty is an important civic duty, and we are obligated to minimize inconvenience to our citizens and encourage participation. Jurors are not compensated for parking or travel expenses and unlike most other district courts, we do not have the option of offering free parking. We had to be creative and put efficiencies in place that are right for our court and the citizens we serve.”
The process for receiving same day cash payments for jury service will be straightforward for the citizen. For more information and other conveniences available online visit the Court’s website at http://www.36thdistrictcourt.org/.
Man must dismantle art for violating junk ordinance
ST. JOHNS, Mich. (AP) — A district judge has ruled that a Michigan man must dismantle an outdoor art installation and remove thousands of found objects — except for a blue plastic duck.
The Lansing State Journal reports that Clinton County District Court Judge Michael Clarizio on Wednesday gave artist Robert Park 45 days to remove the items along a pathway on his property. Park must also pay $250 in fines and court costs.
The 72-year-old spent two years creating “The Blue Loop,” which displays upcycled blue items. A town ordinance that bans the outdoor storage of junk classifies almost all of the pieces in Park’s display as junk. The plastic duck was the only object that didn’t fit the definition of junk.
Park’s attorney says they plan to appeal.
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