New Set of Regulations Standardizes Jury Selection in Civil Courts
The New York Law Journal reports on June 20, 2008 that the Office of Court Administration and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association have reached an agreement allowing the administrative board of the state to set forth a new set of rules regulating jury selection in trials.
The bill, proposed by Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, would propose three main changes to the existing regulations on jury selection. First, judges would not be allowed to permit jurors who have a bias, but claim that they will serve in an unbiased manner to be accepted as jurors. The new rules also permit plaintiffs to appeal immediately, even without waiting for the outcome of a trial. Finally, the new rules allow judges to set time limits on the selection of jurors.
While these rules, at first, seem to be in the best interests of all parties concerned, there exists some dissent. New York City Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo and Judge Ann Pfau are dismayed by the changes, saying that the rules are too time consuming and restrictive. Instead of improving the existing system, Judge Pfau claims, the rules would in fact slow the system down, making it even less appealing to prospective jurors.
