An estimated one million Americans serve as jurors every year, and more than five times that number show up at their local courthouse to report for jury duty. Besides voting, few activities in the life of the typical American offer such direct contact with our democracy.
It’s long past time for courts and lawyers to begin paying closer attention to ways we can support those citizens who take the time to fulfill this vital civic responsibility, to make sure they are accorded the respect and treatment that is commensurate with the gravity of the role and responsibility, to ensure that each empanelled group is a true representation of the community, and that jurors have the tools and processes necessary to receive evidence, deliberate constructively, and deliver a just verdict confidently.
