District Judge Wilma Lewis this week issued 17 orders to “show cause” to jurors who failed to appear for jury duty earlier this month after being summoned to appear, according to a statement issued Wednesday by Clerk of the Court Glenda Lake.
The U.S. Code says that any person summoned for jury duty who fails to appear may be ordered by the district court to show cause for failure to comply. Anyone who fails to show good cause can be fined as much as $1,000, imprisoned for as long as three days and ordered to perform community service.
According to Lake’s statement, “a large number” of jurors failed to appear for jury duty on July 3, 16 and 23. The failure of those to attend on July 16 caused the postponement of a criminal trial, she said.
“While the court is sympathetic to the sacrifices jurors make in order to appear for jury duty, jury service is the cornerstone of our democratic society and our system of law,” Lake’s statement said. “It is one of the most important civic duties that a citizen can perform to protect our rights and liberties.”
“It is unfortunate that the court has to report to orders to show cause to catch the attention of those citizens who ignore their civic responsibilities,” she said, “but this is an extremely serious matter. We hope that this is the last time the court will have to serve orders to show cause.”
Lake said 17 orders were issued. The jury pool typically has 120 people, but the number called on a given day differs.
