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We were fortunate to have two very expert persons today, at our meeting, to tell us all about the Sacramento County Jury System. (left above) is Carla Fleming, Jury Coordinator and (right above) is Ginger Durham, Jury Commissioner of the Sacramento Superior Court. As a thorn between two roses, is situated our esteemed President Richard Olebe.
The Jury topic was so interesting that our members asked Ginger and Carla a great number of questions and came away with a lot of knowledge about the Sacramento County Jury. To see more, "click" on Read More below.
Both Ginger and Carla took turns in answering our plethora of questions. I have just reported on some of the answers which they, collectively, gave us. There are three data sources that the Commissioner uses to find prospective jurors. 1. voter registration lists, 2. DMV, 3. State income tax lists. It is the citizens civic duty to serve from time to time on a jury. The starting qualifying age is 18 and the older juror can be any age. Any excuse not to serve is honored with people over age 70 for a valid medical reason. Exciting news is that a new 17 story building is going up near the Rail Yard in Sacramento and the Jury will be able to assemble up to 500 people at a time. There will be a cafe near there and a lot more space - even a room for lactating mothers. There will be elegant floor to ceiling windows. Good news because space for the jurors has been very crowded for a long time. The Jury Commissioner will only ask you to serve at a maximum of every 18 months, and one can be summoned at much greater intervals. It is a random process. The Sacramento Superior Court operates on a One Day/One Trial system. This is for the convenience of the juror. Can a convicted person of a crime serve? Since January 2020 a convicted criminal is now eligible to serve as long as he/she has served the prescribed sentence and is no longer on parole. Convicted sex offenders can not serve. Long trials necessitates large numbers in the juror pool - up to 100 or more, because jurors may drop out or be excused for various reasons. Both Ginger and Carla expressed appreciation for the juror who takes time to serve. Certainly, our freedoms and way of life depends on support of the jury system. They said that they have a juror appreciation week once a year. If you happen to be a juror then, you might get an extra perk (like an extra cup of coffee or doughnut or something - just kidding). To get onto a Grand Jury it takes one year commitment and it is only given to a limited number of jurors. The pay is a little better than the regular juror which is $15 dollars per day, free parking, and 34 cents a mile (only one way). President Richard told Ginger and Carla that we (the Carmichael Club) also give rewards and that in honor of their presentation, a book will be donated to the Carmichael Public Library, subsidiary of the Sacramento public library. A very nice brochure and more information about Ginger and Carla are below. |
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Ginger Durham, Jury Commissioner Ginger Durham is currently serving as the Jury Commissioner and Director of Operations for the Civil Division with the Sacramento Superior Court. Ginger has over 16 years of management experience with the Court and is also a Nationally Certified Court Manager through The National Center of Sate Courts’ program. She is also an active participant in numerous statewide pilot programs. She was appointed by the Court Executive Officer to serve as the Court’s Jury Commissioner in June of 2021. As the Jury Commissioner it is her duty to oversee the process by which jurors are summoned, and to ensure there are an adequate number of viable jurors available to serve the trial courts of Sacramento Superior Court. |
Carla Fleming, Jury Services Coordinator Carla Fleming has been with the Sacramento Superior Court for 23 years. Carla has worked in Family Law, Small Claims, Unlawful Detainers and currently Jury Service Units of the court. As Jury Coordinator, Carla coordinates, schedules, arranges and assigns jury panel request for courtrooms. Collaborates with courtroom staff regarding availability of jury panel requests and resolves urgent and immediate requests and/or discrepancies with Jury Services Staff Courtroom Staff, Judicial Officers and Court Staff. |