Special week for jurors

PALMER -- Those eight faces smiling at you from the walls of the Palmer Court House this week are definitely people wanted by the Alaska Court System.

The posters acknowledge the contributions of Alaskans who serve on juries through the observation of Juror Appreciation Week, Nov. 18-22. According to the poster, "Justice has many faces, including yours. If you have ever reported for jury service or served on a jury, you have helped make our system of justice work. Thank you."

Juror Appreciation Week is designated by the Alaska Court System. The Judicial Outreach Commission of the Alaska Supreme Court provides materials to judicial districts to assist with the observation, providing the posters, juror appreciation pencils, and special blue and gold pencils to be distributed to jurors who serve during the week's court schedules.

Phu Le White, who coordinates jury service for Palmer Superior Court, said Wednesday that Valley citizens reporting for jury duty in Palmer this week enjoyed donuts, cookies, coffee and tea as they waited their turn to be called into the courtroom. In addition to the state posters, a giant banner decorated the halls of justice.

"I want to emphasize that we appreciate our jurors all the time, and not just this week," said White. "They have to rearrange their lives, and their employers, co-workers and family also have to sacrifice so they can participate in the process."

Jury duty is a demanding job that requires soul-searching and hard decisions. White says that the experience they share sometimes forms bonds between jurors during difficult trials, and they often become close friends. Some jurors keep up with the cases and come back to court for later events, such as sentencings, to give themselves closure.

Just the fact that jurors are willing to serve, whether they are selected for a jury or not, makes a big difference in the process, according to White.

"Every single juror in every single trial plays an important role in the justice system," she said. "It couldn't function without them."

According to White, jurors, along with peace and probation officers, attorneys, court employees, social workers and others, are asked to participate in the evaluation of judges who are up for retention. The Alaska Judicial Council is required by Alaska law to conduct surveys and to provide the information to voters prior to the retention elections. The evaluations for 2002 are available on the Alaska Judicial Council's Web site at www.ajc.state.ak.us.

White said that approximately 75 Valley residents participated in the jury pool during Juror Appreciation Week. Whether they are placed on a jury or not, they are doing their job as citizens and receive a half-day's pay for their time.

"I go back and let them know I haven't forgotten about them while they are waiting," explained White. "I try to make them comfortable and keep them informed of what's going on."

White says that the Anchorage office of the Alaska Court System randomly pulls the names of potential jurors statewide from adults on the Permanent Fund Dividend rolls and mails out questionnaires for individuals to be available for a particular term of service. White then calls in a sufficient number from the pool to assure an adequate group will be available for grand and petit jury selection for scheduled trials in Palmer. If a case is especially sensitive or well-publicized, White may request that a broader range and greater number of potential jurors report on a given day for jury selection.

"I love my job," White said. "I get paid to meet hundreds of people every month."

A, B, Cs of jury selection

According to the jurors' handbook developed by the Alaska Court System, the call to appear for jury duty is an official court summons. A person who fails to respond to the summons could be held in contempt of court.

A potential juror can request the court to postpone a particular term of service under special circumstances such as illness or death of a family member, but this must be done in advance in accordance with instructions from the court.

Except for potential jurors who are also state employees, jurors are paid for their time any day they report to the court for jury duty. Employers cannot fire, demote or penalize employees for missing work while performing jury duty, and some employers continue to pay employees although that is not required. Jurors can request certificates of attendance from the court to provide to employers

The handbook encourages potential jurors to bring a book to read, letter-writing materials, or something else to occupy themselves on the first day they are called to report to the court since the jury selection process can involve long periods of waiting. Once the court is in session, however, jurors are expected to devote their full attention to what is happening in the court.

Just being called does not mean that a potential juror will actually participate in a jury trial. Cases are sometimes settled at the last moment before a trial, so the court does not know which case on a particular court day may result in seating a jury. But time spent waiting to be selected is not time wasted because, according to the handbook, the very presence of a potential jury in the court encourages settlement of cases.

All juries are not selected for criminal and civil trials using the same process, but the handbook outlines a method preferred by many judges presiding over such cases.

More detailed information about what happens during the trials themselves and what is expected of jurors is available in the handbook itself on the Alaska Court System's Web site at http://www.state.ak.us/courts/juror.htm.