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Note: If you
have received a summons for jury duty you may call the juror
information line by pressing 6 at 440-775-1751 to receive
current information regarding the status of upcoming jury
trials. Please note that you cannot leave a message on that
line. If you need to leave a message or have a question
regarding jury duty please call the Jury Commissioner – Diana –
at 440-775-7227.
The Oberlin Municipal Court schedules numerous
jury trials each year. Although many of the scheduled jury
trials do not go forward it is crucial to the efficient
operation of the court to have jurors available and jury trials
scheduled on a regular basis in order to serve the interests of
justice and of the participants involved in these cases.
A jury trial is one of the cornerstones of our
American system of justice. Jury duty has historically been
regarded as an important civic duty. Presently, jurors are
randomly chosen from voting lists. Voters have are responsible,
concerned citizens and it has been the experience of this Court
that the jurors who have served jury duty using this method of
selection have served the community well. The Oberlin
Municipal Court realizes that serving jury duty is an
inconvenience for many citizens. For those not automatically
excused from this most important duty by law this court has
attempted to minimize this inconvenience. As required by the
Ohio Supreme Court the Court has adopted a Jury Management Plan.
The Jury Management Plan limits jury duty to a selected juror to
no more than four trial dates in a one (1) month period that
typically consists of initially being called for four
consecutive Mondays and serving on no more than two of those
dates.
If you are selected as a prospective juror you
will receive a cover letter, juror questionnaire and an excuse
form. You will note
that there are personal questions on the questionnaire. There
are two main reasons that the questions are asked. First, a
person that has a right to a jury trial is entitled to jurors
who approach the case with an open mind and without bias or
prejudice. There might be something in the experience of the
juror that may prevent the juror from being fair. The second
reason is that by answering the questions in advance there is
less chance that personal information will be asked of the
prospective juror in open court in front of the other jurors.
Please send your reply as soon as possible. Your
prompt response allows us to equitably assign firm jury dates
for you and your fellow jurors in a timely manner.
It is important to know that being summoned for
jury duty does not automatically mean that you will be seated as
a juror. The attorneys and the judge ask prospective jurors
additional questions to determine which jurors will be selected
for any given case. In a case in a Municipal Court only eight
jurors and one alternate juror is selected to hear a case.
If you are selected as a juror in a case most
cases in the Municipal Court are completed in one day. However,
there are occasions when justice will require that a case last
more than one day. Very seldom does a case last more than two
days in the Municipal Court. You should plan your schedule
accordingly.
Jury duty service pays jurors the sum of $25.00
per day. In the event you are only here for one-half day you may
be paid the one-half day rate of $12.50.
The Oberlin Municipal Court thanks you for your
service to this court and to the community. Your participation
as a juror helps safeguard this most important cornerstone of
our justice system.
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