Augusta County Courts facing problems with Jury Duty no-shows

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - People not showing up for jury duty are causing the judicial process to slow down.

Tim Martin, Augusta County Commonwealth’s attorney, said “finding another wide open day for a jury trial is really hard to do because the court system is dealing with a back log.”

Martin said that if they don’t have enough people show up that day for jury duty, they lose that day and have to schedule for another day.

“It takes months to find a jury trial date right now. and its bad for defendants who have a right to have a speedy trial they have a right to expect a speedy trial as well,” said Martin.

Martin said that the consequences for not showing up to jury duty without a legitimate reason can result in a fine or even jail time.

“If you think about the big picture here. in this country to have your guilt or innocence determined by a jury of your peers. that’s a beautiful thing and it keeps the power of the government in check. and if the citizens aren’t doing their part by merely showing up then the system could collapse and that’s why you might see pretty significant consequences for people who don’t show,” said Martin.

Copyright 2023 WHSV. All rights reserved.