Overhaul of jury system in July will expand local pool
A major overhaul this summer of Georgia’s jury system will expand the local jury pool to include every citizen who legally is eligible.
According to F. Floyd Hunter, Clerk of Superior Court of Appling County, every resident who is at least 18 years old and a citizen of the county who votes or has a Georgia driver’s license will be eligible for jury duty starting July 1.
Georgia was the only state remaining that required “Forced Balancing” of jury pools as a means for ensuring that the jury pools were made up of the correct percentages for race, sex, and age. The new system is designed to eliminate any opportunity for discrimination on any grounds. Beginning July 1 trial juries and the grand juries will all be selected from the same list of names.
Certain people will be exempt from jury duty: People 70 years old and older, people with medical problems that prevent them from serving (will need a note from their doctor), people with felony convictions that have not had their rights restored, certain caregivers that fill out affidavits to that effect, parents who home school their children.
There will be errors in this new system. We will need your help to get the bugs out. For more information of this new jury system feel free to call the clerk’s office at 367-8126.
Georgia was the only state remaining that required “Forced Balancing” of jury pools as a means for ensuring that the jury pools were made up of the correct percentages for race, sex, and age. The new system is designed to eliminate any opportunity for discrimination on any grounds. Beginning July 1 trial juries and the grand juries will all be selected from the same list of names.
Certain people will be exempt from jury duty: People 70 years old and older, people with medical problems that prevent them from serving (will need a note from their doctor), people with felony convictions that have not had their rights restored, certain caregivers that fill out affidavits to that effect, parents who home school their children.
There will be errors in this new system. We will need your help to get the bugs out. For more information of this new jury system feel free to call the clerk’s office at 367-8126.
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