Local Rule 18

JURY MANAGEMENT PLAN

I. Service

(A) Jury service is an obligation of all qualified citizens of Miami County, Ohio.

(B) The opportunity for jury service shall not be denied or limited on the basis of race, national origin, gender, age, religious beliefs, income, occupation, disability or any other factor that discriminates against a cognizable group in the jurisdiction.

II. Jury Source List - Random Selection Procedure

(A) The Jury Commissioners shall receive a certified jury source list from the Board of Elections list of registered voters no later than December 31st of each year.

(B) Pursuant to Court order, the Court shall fix the number of jurors to make upon the annual and supplemental jury list, to be selected from the list certified to the Jury Commissioners. The Court shall designate a key number based on the total number of registered voters and the number of jurors needed for a year of service and shall designate a starting number for the purpose of using the key number.

(C) The annual and supplemental jury list shall be drawn no later than sixty days prior to the commencement of a jury year.

(D) The jury year is hereby established from May 1 to April 30th of each year.

(E) The jury year shall be divided into three terms, commencing May 1, September 1 and January 1.

(F) By Court order petit and grand jurors shall be drawn no later than forty-five (45) days or more than fifty (50) days prior to the commencement of each term from the annual and supplemental jury list.

(G) The Court further approves and adopts the use of magnetic tapes and/or disks and the use of an automated information retrieval system in randomly selecting the annual jury list and the jurors for each term.

III. Eligibility for Jury Service

(A) All persons shall be eligible for jury service except those who:

(1) Are less than 18 years of age;

(2) Are not citizens of the United States;

(3) Are not residents of the jurisdiction of which they have been summoned to service, to-wit: Miami County; or

(4) Have been convicted of a felony and have not had their civil rights restored.

IV. Term of Jury Service

(A) The time that persons are called upon to perform jury service and to be available should be the shortest period consistent with the needs of justice.

(B) Jurors shall be “on call” for a one month period. They do not report every day.

V. Exemption, Excuse and Rescheduling

(A) There are no automatic excuses or exemptions, with the exception of statutory exemptions, from jury service.

(B) Prospective jurors may be excused for the following reasons: service would be a continuing hardship for them or their families, or they are unable to receive and evaluate information to the extent that their ability to perform their duty as a juror is impaired. Prospective jurors may be rescheduled for the following reasons: vacation, financial, child care or employment problems, student, personal or family illness.

(C) Requests for excuses, exemptions and rescheduling must be in writing and submitted to the Deputy Jury Commissioner who shall forward them on to the appropriate judge for decision.

IV. Notification and Summoning Procedure

(A) The notice summoning a person to jury service and the questionnaire eliciting essential information regarding that person shall be:

(1) Combined in a single mailing;

(2) Phrased so as to be readily understood by an individual unfamiliar with the legal and jury system; and

(3) Delivered by ordinary mail.

(B) All summons should clearly explain how and when the recipient must respond and the consequences of a failure to respond.

(C) The jury questionnaire should be phrased and organized so as to facilitate quick and accurate screening and should request only that information essential for:

(1) Determining whether a person meets the criteria for eligibility;

(2) Providing basic background information;

(3) Efficiently managing the jury system.

VII. Juror Use

(A) The court shall employ the services of prospective jurors so as to achieve optimum use with a minimum of inconvenience to jurors.

(B) The Court shall determine the minimally sufficient number of jurors needed to accommodate trial activity. This information and appropriate management techniques should be used to adjust both the number of individuals summoned for jury duty and the number assigned to jury panels.

VIII. Juror Compensation

(A) Persons called for jury service shall receive a reasonable fee for their service and expenses pursuant to statutory authority.

(B) Such fees shall be paid promptly.

(C) Employers shall be prohibited from discharging, laying off, denying advancement opportunities to, or otherwise penalizing employees who miss work because of jury service.

IX. Jury Orientation and Deliberations

(A) The Court shall provide for all individuals summoned for jury service, a dopy of the Ohio Guide for Petit (or Grand) Jurors, published by the Ohio Judicial Conference.

(B) The Court shall also provide preliminary instructions to all prospective jurors and, prior to the commencement of deliberations, instruct the jury on the law, on appropriate procedure to be followed during deliberations, and on the appropriate methods for reporting the results of its deliberations. Such instructions shall be made available to the jurors during deliberations.

(C) Jury deliberations shall take place under conditions and pursuant to procedures that are designed to ensure impartiality and to enhance rational decision-making and shall conform with existing Ohio law.

(D) A jury should not be required to deliberate after a reasonable hour unless the trial judge determines that evening or weekend deliberations would not impose an undue hardship upon the jurors and such deliberations are required in the interest of justice.

X. In all other respects, the Management of Jury Resources in Common Pleas Court, Miami County, Ohio, shall be consistent with and conform to, the Ohio Trial Court Jury Use and Management Standards adopted August 16, 1993 and Rule for the Superintendence of the Courts of Ohio 5(B)(2).