Bill Text: NJ AR88 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Urges New Jersey Supreme Court to adopt a uniform modification to the juror notification system.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-01 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [AR88 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR88-Introduced.html

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 88

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 1, 2018

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  ERIK PETERSON

District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Urges New Jersey Supreme Court to adopt a uniform modification to the juror notification system.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Assembly Resolution respectfully urging the New Jersey Supreme Court to adopt a uniform modification to the juror notification system.

 

Whereas, Jury management in New Jersey is an ongoing responsibility of the Judiciary across 21 counties and 15 vicinages; and

Whereas, According to one estimate, the New Jersey Judiciary processes more than one million juror summons annually; and

Whereas, Beyond merely assembling source lists of potential jurors, jury management involves dynamic processes of summoning adequate numbers of jurors in the context of determining the need for juror services based on the number of cases actually proceeding to trial, while minimizing inconvenience to New Jersey citizens; and

Whereas, Given the diverse and changing need for juror services in the widely varying communities, New Jersey jury management has evolved, through the use of electronic reporting, into a highly efficient system of notifying potential jurors whether their services will be needed on a given day, thereby minimizing for potential jurors unproductive time spent at the courthouse, lost wages and other disruptions to normal scheduling; and

Whereas, Notwithstanding the efforts of the courts to determine the daily requirement for juror services, from time to time courts determine that additional jurors will be required for current business day service; and

Whereas, Efficiency would be further enhanced by court-initiated contact with a potential juror with adequate notice of the required reporting time; and

Whereas, No potential juror should be placed in "on call" status following dismissal from jury service for a given day, and current business day, court-initiated contact should permit the potential juror to opt out of reporting for current business day service where reporting to the courthouse by the designated time is impractical; now, therefore,

 

     Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

1.         The New Jersey Supreme Court is strongly urged to adopt a policy, applicable to all vicinages in the State, that following the dismissal of prospective jurors from service for a given day that jurors not be asked to be on call to check for possible service in the afternoon that same day.  However, determination that the presence of additional jurors for the current business day is required, shall be accomplished by court-initiated contact with a prospective juror by a specified time of day established by court directive.

2.         The Legislature further urges that a juror who has been dismissed from jury service for a given day, once contacted by the court for current business day service, should be granted the opportunity to opt out of reporting for current business day service where reporting to the courthouse by the designated time is impractical.

 

3.         Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and the Administrative Director of the Courts.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This resolution would respectfully urge the New Jersey Supreme Court to adopt a policy, applicable to all vicinages in the State, that following the dismissal of prospective jurors from service for a given day that jurors not be asked to be on call to check for possible service in the afternoon that same day.  A determination that the presence of additional jurors for the current business day is required, should instead be accomplished by court-initiated contact with a prospective juror by a specified time of day established by court directive.

     The resolution further urges that a juror who has been dismissed from jury service for a given day, once contacted by the court for current business day service, should be granted the opportunity to opt out of reporting for current business day service where reporting to the courthouse by the designated time is impractical.

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