Silverman: Juror Pay Boost a Win-Win for Jurors, Justice System
Jurors in six states and the District of Columbia have gotten a pay raise, a trend that is a cause for celebration for litigants and civil and criminal justice reform advocates, Shook Partner Cary Silverman wrote in an article for Law360.
In an article titled “Higher Juror Compensation Trend is Good for Justice System,” Silverman said that juror compensation has long been “abominable,” with some states paying jurors as little as $4 per day, according to a 2022 study from the National Center for State Courts. He said 14 states had not adjusted their juror per diem since 2000, three had not provided an increase since the 1970s, and one state had not done so since 1957.
Silverman notes that there is a substantial gap between how much jurors are compensated and the amount they will lose if they do not receive their usual income during jury service. He calls the trend of increased compensation long overdue, adding that the inability of all people to participate as jurors is a loss for the justice system.
“Research finds that ‘diverse juries had longer deliberations, discussed more case facts, made fewer inaccurate statements, and were more likely to correct inaccurate statements,’” he said. “Having a wide range of life experiences, expertise, and members with different ways of processing information helps juries perform their fact-finding tasks more effectively and lessens the impact of individual biases.”
