Second-Guessing the King Jurors

In today’s times of economic hardship and the expense of life in Los Angeles, even two-income families find themselves living from paycheck to paycheck. With this fact in mind, we find ourselves backed into a corner when it comes to choosing participants for jury duty. A case in point: The King jury did not have a single black participant. The daily rate jurors are paid in Los Angeles County is $5 per day plus 7 cents a mile, one-way only. Most people find they cannot accept jury duty based on economics alone. As a result, we don’t have access to a jury of our peers. Some realistic compensation (either through the employer or the government or some combination) must be provided or we will forever have juries composed of a slice of society too slim to fairly represent a jury of our peers.

ROSALIE M. LeBLANC

Venice