Increasing Juror Fees (H 7583, S 2141)

We supported legislation which would double from $25 to $50 the daily compensation for jurors. Though the right to a trial by jury is a cornerstone of our Constitutional rights, the exceptionally low rates of compensation that jurors are provided for these services can have a significant impact on lower-income individuals wanting to participate in such an important civic process. The extremely modest increase in compensation proposed by the bill is not going to make them wealthy, but it at least acknowledges that exercising this civic duty warrants more than meager payments that are currently made.