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JUROR INFORMATION
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Importance of Jury Service
Trial by jury is one of the most important rights Americans enjoy and is unique to our system of justice. Trial by jury is guaranteed by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Ohio. To be called upon to serve as a juror is a great honor and is one of the most important civic duties you can perform.
About Jury Week
The Jury Commission calls a jury for approximately eleven weeks out of the year, or about one per month. During jury week, very few other cases are heard by Judge Nicastro or Judge Weiler that will delay the trials. Interruptions are few and short. Up to four jury trials are scheduled daily, except Friday, so that if cases are settled, there may be at least one case ready to proceed to trial. A single trial lasts for approximately one and one half days. Jurors alternate days so that a single juror will rarely be seated on more than two trials in one week.
Reporting for Jury Duty
Jurors report at 8:30 a.m. to the Garfield Heights Municipal Court at The Justice Center, 5555 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125. Parking is in the rear of the Justice Center and is free. Jurors should enter through the back entrance of the building by the steps or ramp. On the first day of service, jurors will be greeted by a security bailiff and directed to the basement meeting room. The bailiff will assist jurors and answer any questions. After all jurors have assembled, the Judge's bailiff will explain the schedule and procedure for the balance of the week. Jurors then remain in the meeting room until called for trial. The bailiff will escort the jurors to Judge Nicastro's or Judge Weiler's Courtroom when the trial is ready to begin.
Juror Hotline
The Clerk has established a special telephone hotline for jurors only. The hotline number is 216-475-4907. Jurors should call the Hotline every day after 5:00 p.m. to hear a pre-recorded message explaining whether or not trials will be proceeding the next day. On occasion, all trials scheduled for the following day are settled before trial and then jurors are not required to report. Using the Hotline avoids unnecessary trips to the Court.
Jury Selection Process
Jurors are first chosen from all eight communities served by the Garfield Heights Municipal Court. The Court's Jury Commission screens the list of potential jurors and submits a final list to the Clerk. From the list submitted to the Clerk by the Jury Commission, approximately 30 to 40 jurors are randomly selected for each jury week. When called for trial, all potential jurors take an oath and are questioned first by the Judge and then by the attorneys. This process is called voir dire. The goal of the voir dire is to obtain a fair and impartial jury for each trial. After questioning the jurors, each attorney has the right to excuse a certain number of jurors. After the attorneys are satisfied with the composition of the jury, the remaining jurors are sworn and constitute the panel for that trial. The other jurors are excused and given another date to report during jury week. | | |
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