The External Affairs Committee was created by Mr. Newman and Mr. Pitts to increase student involvement in local government. The EAC will become a standing committee in 1999.
The deal with Trial Jury Duty in Athens
Prospective jurors are chosen from voter
registration rolls. (External Affairs suspects that jurors are chosen
from somewhere else as well. There are 45,990 registered voters in
Athens but there are 70,000 names on the list. Whence come these
extra names?)
6 jury commissioners are appointed by Judge Gaines. These jury commissioners create a pool by striking individuals from the list who are not of ‘upstanding character,’ those who are mentally incompetent, and those who are convicted felons. The jury commissioners completely revise this list every 2 years.
A computer randomly generates a ‘venire’ of jurors from the pool. Federal law requires that this venire (‘to come’ in Latin) be apportioned by age, race, and sex to ensure proportional representation.
As a result, groups that are underrepresented in the pool tend to serve more often.
Since 18-24 year-olds comprise 35% of the Athens population, students tend to be called often as well.
The court sends these people notice of jury duty and they must appear.
As a result of past abuses, there aren’t many acceptable excuses for evading jury duty. (Being a student isn’t an excuse.)
If you have a conflict, and cannot serve on your assigned date, call the jury service number on your summons immediately. The jury clerk can reschedule a limited number of jurors on a first come, first serve basis.
Breakdown of the A-CC Jury Venire