Good News for L.A. Jurors

Where there’s a will--or a serious public clamor--there’s a way. Los Angeles County Superior Court officials, reversing themselves, have now vowed to adopt a system requiring most prospective jurors to serve only one day unless they are selected for a trial.

Under the one-day-or-one-trial model, jurors not assigned to a trial on their first day of service will be excused. Just three months ago, court officials insisted that this system would not work in Los Angeles County, which has far more criminal and civil trials than any other California county. They also pointed out that the pool of qualified jurors is somewhat diminished because many candidates do not speak English. Officials feared that under the one-day, one-trial model these and other factors would result in too few jurors and cause greater delays in court proceedings.

By the end of 1999, prospective jurors in all Los Angeles County courts will be required to serve for one day and, if not selected for a trial, may be placed on call for three to five days. Court administrators will have to summon three times as many jurors as they do now, and some residents may have to serve more often than the current once a year. Nevertheless, this would be less onerous to juror candidates than the present situation.

A new state law setting one-day, one-trial as a California standard by 2000 provided impetus for the change here. So have the tedium and seething frustration that Los Angeles judges see in crowded jury assembly rooms as prospective jurors wait out the 10-day commitment.

Other counties, including Ventura, Riverside and Orange, have already made the change to one-day, one-trial. Orange County’s experience is instructive. Although it has had problems with juror overcrowding in courthouses, its courteous and efficient system ensures a relatively painless and even educational experience for prospective jurors.

The Orange County courts report a rise in appearances for jury duty among residents who receive a juror questionnaire; that figure has climbed to 25% from 9% in 1993 when Orange County started the one-day, one-trial system. The comparable rate in Los Angeles is a shocking 6%.

Tuesday’s announcement is part of a package of reforms that Los Angeles County judges hope will increase public confidence in the courts and decrease resentment of jury service. Among those reforms: The L.A. Superior Court may let jurors ask questions during trials and will push to raise the per diem from a paltry $5--the lowest juror pay in the country--to $20. At the same time, the court is appropriately cracking down on people who don’t show up when summoned, fining more than 100 scofflaws $1,500 each in recent weeks. That’s proper. Jury service is a civic obligation, but it need not be such a burden.