Articles Tagged with “jury service”

The vast majority of people don’t want jury duty. As a lawyer, I’ve always hoped for the opportunity to serve and experience “our civic duty” firsthand. I’ve been called twice, but have not been selected. Still, hanging out with the throngs of “potentials” has verified for me that some people will say anything to try and get out of jury duty, but most people will just hunker down and go through the process. But, they might not be happy about it.

Baltimore City lawsuits require Baltimore City jurors, and until recently, most people were called once every 18 months if not selected for a trial, and once every three years if they were selected for a trial. That is changing. Baltimore City residents are now being called every year.

The source for our jurors is voting records and driving records. Baltimore Sun writer Michelle Alston correctly observes that many Baltimore City residents neither vote nor drive, so there should be another way to identify those residents. The number of non-drivers in the City is especially disproportionate, where many people rely on buses and light rail. She suggests using social security numbers. There are, in fact, any number of ways to do it. Most residents pay taxes–any resident who files a return should be subject to the rigors of jury duty.