Two Cayuga County residents still failed to show up when summoned to appear in front of a judicial hearing officer Tuesday morning to answer why they skipped past calls for jury duty.
The first crop of the worst noncompliant jurors in Cayuga County were summoned to appear in front of judicial hearing officer and retired Judge Robert Contiguglia at 9 a.m.
Five other prospective jurors were found by Contiguglia Tuesday to have been noncompliant with their jury duty, Kelly Wejko, Cayuga County Supreme and County courts clerk and commissioner of jurors, said.
The five were fined between $25 and $250. One man who failed to appear 10 times since 2003 was fined $250, Wejko said.
The noncompliant jurors also were ordered to appear Sept. 10 and complete their orientation for jury duty. So far this year, 220 Cayuga County residents have failed to show up for jury service.
One conscientious objector said she felt it was unethical to judge other people, but she had failed to respond to call into the courthouse three times to see if she was needed the courthouse, Wejko said.
“Even if there's some religious or some conscientious reason they can't serve, they should still show up,” Contiguglia said. “They get punished for ignoring their summonses.”
Courthouses across the country struggle with jury service compliance. Only 46 percent of people summoned for jury duty show up, according to a survey conducted by the National Center for State Courts, the Associated Press reported recently.
Lee County, North Carolina, had sheriff's deputies serve jury summons at random in store parking lots in March - requiring people to show up at court an hour later, according to the AP.
A total of 4,500 jurors were utilized last year in Cayuga County between jurors who had to call in to see if they were needed at the courthouse and jurors who were actually summoned to the courthouse.
The next Cayuga County hearing date for noncompliant jurors is scheduled for Aug. 30.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story. Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net
Five other prospective jurors were found by Contiguglia Tuesday to have been noncompliant with their jury duty, Kelly Wejko, Cayuga County Supreme and County courts clerk and commissioner of jurors, said.
The five were fined between $25 and $250. One man who failed to appear 10 times since 2003 was fined $250, Wejko said.
The noncompliant jurors also were ordered to appear Sept. 10 and complete their orientation for jury duty. So far this year, 220 Cayuga County residents have failed to show up for jury service.
One conscientious objector said she felt it was unethical to judge other people, but she had failed to respond to call into the courthouse three times to see if she was needed the courthouse, Wejko said.
“Even if there's some religious or some conscientious reason they can't serve, they should still show up,” Contiguglia said. “They get punished for ignoring their summonses.”
Courthouses across the country struggle with jury service compliance. Only 46 percent of people summoned for jury duty show up, according to a survey conducted by the National Center for State Courts, the Associated Press reported recently.
Lee County, North Carolina, had sheriff's deputies serve jury summons at random in store parking lots in March - requiring people to show up at court an hour later, according to the AP.
A total of 4,500 jurors were utilized last year in Cayuga County between jurors who had to call in to see if they were needed at the courthouse and jurors who were actually summoned to the courthouse.
The next Cayuga County hearing date for noncompliant jurors is scheduled for Aug. 30.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story. Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net
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