JUDGING JURIES
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2024 | 23 mins | CC | Director: Abby Ginzberg
Judging Juries reveals the barriers to jury service which deprive defendants in criminal cases of juries which represents a cross-section of the community. It looks at the issue of juror pay, the use of peremptory challenges which permit the dismissal of potential jurors for no stated reason and the use of former felony convictions as a bar to jury service. The right to be judged by a jury which reflects a cross-section of the community is a fundamental right, but it requires an understanding by the citizens who are called to serve that this is a duty they should be willing to fulfill. It is our hope that this film will help encourage community members throughout the Bay Area and the State of California to see jury service in a new light—to welcome the call to jury duty and to participate enthusiastically in this very unique experience that has important consequences for the individual on trial and provides jurors with the opportunity to learn from each other as they determine the outcome of the case. Similarly, we hope that other jurisdictions will be motivated by the experience of San Francisco and consider ways to increase juror pay so that more people can afford to serve.