Home : Newsroom : Federal Courts Improve on Juror Utilization
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Federal Courts Improve on Juror Utilization Federal trial courts try hard not to call potential jurors to the courthouse unnecessarily. And those efforts proved more successful in 2003 than in the previous year. Juror utilization in U.S. district courts is measured by the percentage of prospective jurors who do not serve, get selected or challenged on their first day of jury service. For 2003, the national average was 39.3 percent. That compares favorably with the national average of 39.6 percent for 2002. The decline means 1,375 potential jurors were spared being brought into a courthouse unnecessarily, a savings of $99,000. The decline in percentage is the first since 1997 but is still higher than the Judicial Conference's approved juror utilization goal of 30 percent or less of prospective jurors who do not serve, get selected or challenged on their first day of jury service. In 2003, 45 of the federal judiciary's 94 districts improved their juror utilization percentage. Five districts - Oklahoma Eastern, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia Western – improved their percentage by 10 points or more. The district courts in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia - comprising the Fourth Judicial Circuit - collectively reported a 29.8 percent rate. AHigh-profile trials, multi-defendant prosecutions, continuances due to unforeseen circumstances, late settlements and the need in "mega cases" to bring in jurors to complete questionnaires are some of the factors that can cause a court’s percentage to climb.
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