Why is juror education important for your employees, and what role can employers play?
Public trust in the justice system is eroding. A 2024 Gallup poll revealed that Americans’ confidence in the courts fell from 59% in 2020 to just 35% in 2024. Juries are the foundation of our justice system, and most Americans agree that jury duty is a cornerstone of citizenship (Pew Research Center). Yet only 8 to 10 million of the 30 million summoned each year actually serve (NCSC) contributing to persistent concerns about bias and underrepresentation in jury pools that further undermine confidence in the system. Participating in the justice process increases transparency, which, in turn, increases trust in the integrity of our system.
With more than 168 million people in the American workforce, employers are a uniquely powerful avenue to increasing jury service participation and renewing faith in our judicial system. The workplace is one of the last places where we still come together every day with people with different backgrounds and ideologies and work together toward a shared goal and purpose. This means that employers provide access to broad demographics to help ensure more representative juries and can encourage participation in jury service.
