Tag Archives: jury duty

Trying to make the sausage less bad

RG Ratcliffe walsk us through some bipartisan negotiations on HB6, the House version of the big Senate voter suppression bill, as three Democrats who want to make this bad bill slightly less bad work with a couple of Republicans who … Continue reading

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Is it time to pay jurors more?

Not yet, but maybe soon. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and her colleagues on Commissioners Court declined to support a proposal to increase pay for jurors and instead referred the idea for more study. District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, a Democrat, … Continue reading

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Coronavirus and the courts

More things that will be shut down for the time being. Courts in the Houston region are announcing measures to reduce or suspend some operations in response to the new coronavirus outbreak and local declarations of emergency. Harris County’s court … Continue reading

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The jury duty problem

Some good ideas here, they just need to be implemented. One morning in January, about 270 people crammed into the basement of the Harris County administration building for jury duty. Another 1,130 people who were summoned didn’t show. That day’s … Continue reading

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The courthouse shuffle

Justice rearranged. Flood waters damaged several buildings in the courthouse complex , which is spread across a dozen city blocks in north downtown. The county’s shiny new underground jury assembly building flooded, but the biggest casualty was probably the destruction … Continue reading

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Jury duty pay raise

If you get called for jury duty, you’ll get a little extra something for your time. For the past two years, jurors in Harris County and elsewhere have been paid $30 a day or less for every day of service … Continue reading

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On encouraging jury service

District Clerk Chris Daniel notes that many people do not get paid when they take off work to serve on jury duty, and that therefore they generally choose to ignore their summonses. During the upcoming session, the state Legislature can … Continue reading

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You can donate your jury duty pay to charity

As you probably know if you have been called to jury service in Harris County, jurors get paid $6 for showing up, and $28 per day after the first day if they are selected to serve on a jury. What … Continue reading

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The demographics of jury service

Why is it that juries in Harris County tend to not reflect the demography of the county as a whole? District Clerk Chris Daniel explains why in a recent Chron op-ed. If you’re familiar with the concept of “citizen voting … Continue reading

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No texting while deliberating

If you get called in for jury duty in Harris County, you can now get free WiFi in the Jury Assembly Room. But once you get into a courtroom, and especially if you get empaneled, you should expect to have … Continue reading

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Harris County Jury Assembly Room now has WiFi

Jury service in Harris County just got a little more pleasant. The following is a press release from District Clerk Loren Jackson: Today’s universal tech boom has given way to ‘digital dependence.’ Harris County citizens are no different when it … Continue reading

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