fittingly enough, one of todays headlines: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20001307/
Among other efforts around the country to boost participation:
In Los Angeles County, officials have put ads promoting jury service on the court system’s mail trucks. They read: “Jury Service: You Be the Judge.”
In New York state, occupational exemptions to jury service have been eliminated, so doctors, lawyers, firefighters, police officers and even judges can no longer get out of jury duty.
In Florida, court officials use a poster of Harrison Ford, star of the movie “Presumed Innocent,” to encourage people to report for jury duty. The poster was part of a 2005 public service campaign developed by the ABA. “If a picture of Harrison Ford helps us be a more democratic society, then I’m all for it,” said Greg Cowan, a court official in Leon County, Fla.
In Washington, D.C., judges have summoned no-shows to court, where they must explain why they missed their date or face up to seven days in jail and a $300 fine. In Tulare County, Calif., sheriffs go to the homes of no-shows and hand them orders to appear in court to explain themselves.
Around the country, some courts have tried to make jury service less burdensome by raising daily fees paid to jurors, limiting jury service to one day or one trial, and reimbursing jurors for parking costs.