Your Duty, Your Turn
 | Author:
Dee Gannon
MT43 News Correspondent |
Everyone who is a registered voter, and has a driver’s license or State ID is considered for Jury Duty when the need arises. Those who actually receive a summons in the mail are required to return the paperwork, (hopefully) anxious to do their ‘civic duty’ by sitting on a jury for either City Court, Justice Court or District Court. Unfortunately, in Broadwater County, that is not how it works.
Some trials require a Jury of 6 (plus 2 alternates). For that scenario, the Clerk of Court must send out more than 80 summons. Out of the 80 summons sent, 32 are either excused (usually a medical excuse) or undeliverable. Out of the 42 who show up, 18 must be chosen to pick 6 to participate. That’s the bare minimum. If they can’t settle on a pool of 6 of the 18, it is deemed a mistrial; which is not fair to the defendant and can be harmful to the community. “It’s so very frustrating,” admits Clerk of Court, Val Hornsveld. “I think people think that it’s not necessary or it’s boring; but trials can be quite exciting, and once you go, you might be hooked.” She continued, “In fact, it can even be fun.”
It seems that the undeliverable part of the equation is the most prevalent. People move, leaving no forwarding address, or they die. For Justice and City Court, that’s the rub. They send out 55 summons to get 13 jurors (12 plus an alternate). Justice of the Peace, Kirk Flynn, says that the current system is unreliable. He says, “almost everyone has an email address these days. Why not select jurors by their email, and allow them to answer by email? I don’t know if that’s an answer. It’s up to our legislators to decide what’s in ‘our best interests.’ I just know that the current system needs a little re-working.”
Will you answer the call to serve, next time you get a summons for jury duty? This reporter will. Our duties as citizens are not just relegated to taking care of our own. Sometimes we have to leave our comfort zones to serve others. Jury duty is an opportunity to do your part. We all need to grasp those opportunities with the assurance that we are doing our best for our community.
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