A new state law that went into effect Sept. 1 increases the fine from $100 to $500 for missing jury duty.
“A lot of people we summon for jury duty simply don’t show up and don’t even call us and let us know they’re not going to be there,” said Bee County District Clerk Anna Marie Silvas. “Now that they know they might have to pay a $500 fine, maybe more of them will show up to court or at least call us.”
As many as 60 percent of the Bee County residents called for jury duty don’t show up and don’t phone, she said.
“For the most part, we have no problem finding enough jurors for a trial but sometimes we have two or three trials that we need to select jurors for, and that’s when we have problems with jurors not showing up,” she explained. “If we’re going to pick three juries, we need a large enough pool of potential jurors to select from, and that becomes very difficult when more than half of the potential jurors don’t show up.”
Silvas said many jurors have perfectly good reasons to skip jury duty, such as legal exemptions honored by the court.
Exemptions from jury service include people over 70, students, primary caretakers for invalids, employees of the legislative branch of state government.
“But a lot of times the people who could be exempted from serving don’t even call us,” Silvas said. “They just don’t show.”
To entice more participation, the Texas Legislature increased the pay for jury service a few years ago.
Bee County residents who show up for jury selection on day one receive $6 and if they’re selected for jury duty they receive $40 per day for their service.
House Bill 319 also has an impact on who will and who won’t serve on juries.
HB 319 changes the current statute that allows adults to be exempt from jury duty if serving on a jury would cause a child 10 years of age or younger to be left alone, by extending the age to 15 years of age.
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