COUNTY/ COURT

Do you celebrate JAW?

Where do your funds come from?

Are your administrators supportive?

Do any of your judges participate in JAW?

FRESNO

Yes, we celebrate JAW with complimentary cookies & coffee. We have helium balloons with the message “JAW” and all employees wear “We Love Our Jurors” buttons

Superior Court General Fund

Yes, our CEO and Jury Oversight Committee is very supportive of doing all we can within a very limited budget.

The Chair of the jury Oversight Committee is a judge and he will go before the Board of Supervisors meeting to obtain the Juror Appreciation Week proclamation. We have judges and commissioners welcome jurors whenever they are here, but this judge makes a particular efforts to talk to jurors on this week stressing JAW.

SHASTA

Yes. Normally we hang a banner from the front of the courthouse; pass out writing pens and bookmarks, have donuts, muffins, fruit and orange juice, coffee, tea for all new jurors. All court employees wear “We Love Our Jurors”. Before consolidation and trial court funding, the Board of Supv. did resolutions annually stating the county’s appreciation of jurors. Our presiding judge has been issuing those resolutions.

Funds come from the court and I’ve never heard them say no to anything I might ask for. The AEO did however say no to having one of our local office supply companies provide a catered luncheon for JAW (she thought it might be perceived as favoritism).

My administration is supportive. Both have worked in jury services in their past lives as court clerks so they understand how difficult it is to get jurors here in the first place. Normally, they just approve the things I need and leave me to the task itself.

Since I’ve been Jury Coordinator, my judges haven’t done much in the way of visual participation, but the feeling I get is that their supportive of jurors in general and JAW particular. I’ve never asked any of them to speak to jurors during JAW because they’re awfully busy, but I’m sure if I asked they would. Our judges do sign off on the resolution for JAW each year.

SAN BERNARDINO

Yes.

We have budgeted approximately $3,000 and it some out of the Trial Court Funding Budget.

Our Executive Officers do support us, and they think JAW is important. They give us suggestions on what they would like us to do and approval to do advertising, certificate awards and resolutions.

Our judges do participate a little. They will go down to the jury rooms to speak, and in our smaller courts will hold open houses or receptions and the judges will attend.

YOLO

Yes. We offer coffee, tea, juice, donuts and pass out items such as bookmarkers and coffee mugs. Jury staff wear badges and we decorate the jury assembly room with ribbons and balloons and a great big sign. We have approached local restaurants to offer a lunch time discount for the jurors who are currently serving. We have a handful of restaurants that offer a 10%-20% discount when jurors show their summons at lunch. This is available all year long.

We have a small fund available in our budget.

Our administrator is supportive. She’s open to our suggestions and the necessary funding to support them.

Our PJ has participated by addressing the jury groups during the week.

ORANGE COUNTY

Yes. We provide goodies – fruit, pretzels, fruit drinks etc. A table is setup with a few flowers, pretty tablecloth and napkins in the jury assembly room. Souvenirs are given to the jurors.

We get donations from staff and the rest comes from the court budget. We don’t do fundraisers.

Yes. They are very supportive and encourage us to do as much as possible to get the word out about JAW.

Some of the judges participate all year long with providing a welcome orientation to the jurors everyday they report for jury duty. During the week the judges who are scheduled to speak will announce to the audience the importance of jury duty, and how we recognize their significance to the judicial process by proclaiming the second full week in May as Juror Appreciation Week throughout the state of California.

SUTTER

No, our court does not celebrate JAW.

SAN MATEO

Yes.

Funds are budgeted for this express purpose.

Yes. We have the full support of the administration.

Yes. Our judges participate. They come to the jury assembly room daily and speak to the jurors.

VENTURA

Yes. We serve coffee and cookies. All court staff wear ribbons, and our lobby and jury assembly rooms are decorated with banners and balloons. We distribute pens and bookmarkers, and we have one of our court’s talented staff members perform magic tricks for the jurors - his last trick is making the jurors disappear, that’s how we release them.

I have a small budget ($1,000) to purchase ribbons for all court staff to wear. Pens, bookmarks, cookies, and paper supplies are distribute to jurors. I solicit donations of Starbucks coffee from the various stores throughout the county, and place a sign on the serving table listing the locations that donated the coffee.

Yes. They have approved my small budget, and have County Board of Supv. prepare a resolution proclaiming JAW each year. Our court Exec. addresses the prospective jurors during that week, thanking them for their service and asking for their ideas and suggestions. Our juror business center was created when jurors told our exec. and PJ they needed additional workspaces and computer access.

Yes. We have a judge address prospective jurors every day during our morning orientation, and usually during JAW, our PJ addresses the jurors. In addition to that, we’ve had the chair of the Board of Supv. make a formal presentation of JAW, and then address the jurors.

MARIN

Yes.

Court Budget

Yes. They provide the funds for refreshments and small tokens of appreciation – pencils and pens.

Yes. Each day a judge addresses the prospective jurors in the assembly room.

SAN JOAQUIN

Yes.

We are very creative with the funding for such items as pastries, brochures, pens, decorating etc. Some of the funding we have received for Community Outreach can be used and some of the expenditures come from the court’s general fund. This year the jury staff is donating gift baskets to be raffled.

Yes. Our court executive officer is very supportive with JAW by involving himself in the festivities and by allowing us the latitude to be creative and approve our budget requests.

Yes. All judges participate in JAW. Several of them give personal jury orientation that week, and all trial judges give certificates of appreciation to their trial jurors, as well as wear our red, white and blue appreciation ribbons.

LOS ANGELES

Yes. All 38 of our courthouses celebrate JAW. It is very competitive – each year a plaque is given to the best courts performance during JAW (the award is based on questionnaires from the jurors). The award is based on decorations, food, and activities. The winners picture is put in local and court newspapers. In past years we have had a fair with booths from various organizations in the community. We also have had the Marine Corp. band perform during the fair, with various court officers, judges and Board of Supv. giving speeches. Today the emphasis is on the community. Organizations from the community speak to the jurors (fire department; red cross; police department; local museums, etc.). There is also an emphasis on the people who work in the courtroom – bailiffs, clerks, court liaisons, public defenders, district attorneys etc. to speak on what their responsibility is in the courtroom. A continental breakfast and lunch is served every day there are jurors. Decorations include balloons and banners. JAW buttons are worn by all staff members. Games are played, door prizes, raffles and various other entertainment.

There is a budget allocated for JAW. Each year I contact all 38 courts to find out what they would like to do for JAW, and how much money they would need. I then propose this budget to our Personnel and Budget Committee (made up of the PJ and Supv. Judges). My budget has always been approved. It is a sizable dollar amount to do a variety of activities.

In addition, some of our courts do fundraisers. We also send out letters to various companies/ organizations asking for their “participation”. We have gotten various donations from museums (tickets, art, gifts, and free admission) based on these letters.

Yes and No. Our administrators have not always been supportive. Last year I created a letter (signed by our Executive Officer) telling the administrators that it was mandatory that they support their staff and participate in JAW. This letter really got their attention. Now they assist their staff by coming to the assembly room, taking time to talk with the jurors – they make themselves visible during the week.

Yes and No. Our judges are very supportive at some of our courts by speaking to our jurors during JAW. But at many of our other courts (especially downtown) it is difficult to get them to speak (unless their is a photographer around). This year I have written a letter to all Supervising judges (signed by our PJ) to ask them to get involved with JAW – by wearing the JAW buttons, and by speaking to the jurors. Hopefully this will help.