August 27, 2002
Ancient Duty, Ancient Pay Scale
This guy was more than a little impudent, but I understand what he's getting at. If chosen, you are essentially forced to serve on a jury for the pittance of $40 a day plus mileage. For a consultant who may possibly be billing clients an hourly rate, this represents an immense loss of income for each day he serves.
Now billing the court may not have resulted in anything other than a stern note from the judge, but the point was made. If serving on a jury is a citizen's duty, could we at least make it more economically feasible for our citizens to do so? Our system of trial by jury is descended from thirteenth century custom; unfortunately, the pay is still on the thirteenth century scale.
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