Gov. Gavin Newsom has cut funding for a pilot program that increased jury compensation in Alameda County from $100 a day back to $15, a move criticized by local officials. The program, aimed at leveling the playing field for lower-income residents, had been viewed as key to enhancing jury representation. Public Defender Brendan Woods described the funding cut as disheartening and reckless, while Judge Thomas Nixon emphasized the importance of jurors in the justice system. This decision, made after only eight months of implementation, has raised concerns about accessibility and participation in jury duty.
Compensation has routinely been one of the biggest barriers to people serving on juries, and he had lauded the pilot program as a key means for lower-income residents to serve on juries with greater regularity.
It's devastating; it's absolutely shameful that this money is being cut. Woods said. He questioned the wisdom of eliminating an initiative that amounted to such a tiny sliver of the state's overall criminal justice spending.
We share the disappointment of our justice partners who had hoped this study would provide insight into how increased compensation could diversify jury pools.
Jurors are an essential part of our judicial system, and we need to do all we can to increase participation.
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