Jury Duty: It's Time to Pay Up

For some people, jury duty is something they simply cannot afford to do. The idea of having to show up to court without knowing if you will be picked to serve on the jury can be costly. Even if you do show up, the pay most likely does not compensate you for the money that could have been made at your job. It is for this reason that most people have decided to ignore their summons altogether. For example, a study in Dallas County showed that 80 percent of people who are summoned for jury duty simply ignore them. Honestly, I can’t blame them. I mean who wants to show up to court just to get paid money that barely covers parking? Instead, I could be at work making real money. Although jury duty is seen as a patriotic act and part of our civic duty, some people see it as a waste of money. As of now, the jury duty pay rate in Texas is a measly 6 dollars. Certain counties in Texas, however, have tried to alleviate the financial burden of showing up for jury duty by providing potential jurors with free public transportation, mileage reimbursement, free parking, and free meals. But is this enough? Probably not. That is why I think it’s time to pay up.

            I think that paying people more for jury duty would increase participation and be a huge benefit for the legal system. People would be more inclined to serve as a juror if they were being compensated more fairly. For example, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas currently pays a 50 dollar attendance fee for each day someone is required to report for jury duty. For some people, this is more than they would make at their job. Although it doesn’t seem like much, any increase in pay would incentivize people to show up to court. There really isn't a right number on what would be considered “enough” but I think it’s time to start trying to find that right number. Currently, Texas law does not currently require that jury duty leave be paid. So increasing the pay can help alleviate that financial burden. Some counties are really taking a hit due to a lack of juror participation. For example, 380 McLennan County residents failed to show up for jury duty a couple of years ago. As a result, trials needed to be pushed back another day. District Clerk Jon Gimble noted that the lack of juror participation slows down the trial process and as a result, makes the courts less efficient. As Americans, we have a constitutional right to a jury trial but a lack of financial compensation is starting to affect that right. The most simple solution is to just pay up. I’m not too familiar with how the financing would work for such a proposal and where the money would come from. But as a law student in debt, I can tell you one thing: more money can solve a lot of problems.