California Celebrates Juror Appreciation Week, May 9-13, 2016

"Serving on a jury is more than a civic responsibility—it is how each and every one of us provides access to justice for all," said Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye.

This year, California celebrates the 19th anniversary of Juror Appreciation Week. In 1998, the California Legislature designated the second full week in May each year to honor the important contributions of citizens who devote their time and effort in "making the cherished right of trial by jury a reality and to raise awareness about their contribution to our courts."

There have been numerous positive changes to jury service in California over the years. Some notable improvements are the one-day or one-trial system that makes jury service more manageable, plain-language jury instructions that make jury service more understandable and most recently, expedited jury trials an alternative, streamlined method for handling civil actions intended to be quicker and less expensive than a traditional jury trial. With an expedited jury trial, the jury is smaller, choosing the jury is faster, and parties will use fewer peremptory challenges

Each year, the Judicial Council of California and the superior courts team up to recognize the millions of Californians who answer the call to serve their communities and put into practice the fundamental American ideal of justice.

Why celebrate Juror Appreciation Week?

• To recognize jurors for their outstanding and important service;
• To honor the relationships between the courts and their local communities; and
• To join with the American Bar Association and other state courts in celebrating jurors.

Why participate in jury service?

You have the opportunity:

• To serve your local community;
• To contribute to our American system of justice; and
• To directly affect a litigant’s life by weighing evidence and taking part in a trial.

Did you know?

Statewide, Californians participated in jury service in the following ways:

• Approximately 9 million people were summoned to jury service;
• About 3 million prospective jurors completed service;
• Almost 1.5 million prospective jurors completed jury service at the courthouse; and
• Over 80% of those who served completed service in one day.

Other Resources

• To learn more jury service, go to Jury Service Basics
• To get information and instructions for responding to your juror summons, read Court and Community
• The Joy of Jury Duty The Altlantic, May 3, 2013

A Message from the Chief Justice