(Sacramento, CA) - In honor of the 10th anniversary of Juror Appreciation Week (JAW), California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) today released a poll of California citizens’ attitudes toward jury service.

Surprisingly, 41 percent of those surveyed were unaware of California’s one-day or one-trial system, whereby prospective jurors need appear for only one day unless they are selected for a trial. In many instances, those summoned may only need to make a call visit a Web site to determine if they must appear at court. If they are not chosen for a trial or assigned to jury selection on the first day of their scheduled service, they have satisfied their obligation for a year. If selected for a jury, service in that trial satisfies the juror’s obligation for at least one year.

“The one-day or one-trial system really makes fulfilling your civic duty much more convenient,” said John Merchant, Chairman of California CALA. “For most of us that means just taking one day out of our busy lives to ensure that our justice system functions as it was intended.”

Additional findings in the survey revealed:

• More than 10 percent of survey respondents have ignored a jury summons.
• Nearly 70 percent were concerned that those who do respond for jury duty may end up shouldering a greater burden, such as increased or repeated summons to jury duty.
• Nearly 70 percent were concerned about having a jury that is not representative of one’s “peers” or local community.
• Seventy percent felt that citizens who fail to report for jury service negatively impact our civil justice system.

“This survey reveals that Californians overall understand the necessity of our jury system, but that many are unaware how it works,” said Merchant. “Our justice system is one of the cornerstones of democracy. People need to know how important and easy it is to serve on a jury and the reforms that California has made to make serving easier on us all.”

Complete results are available here.