Editorial: Bill on jury duty would bring reform

Monday, April 21, 2003 | 8:53 a.m.

We agree with the two main points in a bill concerning jury duty that is now before the Legislature. The bill, supported by the Nevada Supreme Court, would increase pay for those who are chosen to serve as jurors. It would also make more people eligible to serve on juries.

The pay increase would be financed by eliminating the $9 check received by people who don't get picked for a jury and are dismissed on their first day. Counties estimate they incur a $5 administrative cost for each of those checks they write. But the bill increases to $40 the daily amount prospective jurors would receive if answering their summonses required more than one day. Those selected for juries would also receive $40 a day, as opposed to $15 a day for the first five days of the trial and $30 a day for any time after that. The increase for jurors and prospective jurors is long overdue, particularly for self-employed people who stand to lose significant income as they fulfill their civic duty.

Additionally, the bill does away with the practice of automatically exempting thousands of people from jury duty, including elected officials, police officers, prosecutors, attorneys, doctors and correctional employees. The Supreme Court is confident that prosecutors and defense attorneys will continue to do a competent job of picking juries, regardless of who is in the jury pool. We share that confidence. Answering a jury summons is a civic duty that should be shared by all eligible citizens.