Fear of Financial Ruin Has More Potential Jurors Claiming Hardship

Potential jurors are increasingly citing fears that jury service could cause financial hardship, causing some court administrators to increase the number of people called to serve.

No statistics chronicle the problem, but several judges and court officials are reporting an increase in people seeking to avoid jury service, the New York Times reports.

The story highlighted some of the reasons potential jurors can’t serve: They are the sole wage earner for their family. They are out of work and unable to afford the expense of getting to the courthouse. They are business owners who can’t be away, especially since they have laid off workers.

Judge Robert Rosenberg of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., told the Times he recently dismissed nearly half of 80 potential jurors he interviewed, many who told of fears of financial ruin from jury duty. “A judge has to be sensitive to the economic times,” he said.

Some administrators, however, see a flip side to the recession. Matt Benefiel, a Florida court official in the county that includes Orlando, said unemployment there was higher than the national average, but the number of potential jurors claiming hardship had not increased.

“We might actually have jurors who are looking to get the money,” he told the Times. The county pays $15 a day for the first three days of jury service, and $30 a day for additional service.