WHEREAS, The right to a trial by jury is one of the core values of American citizenship; and
WHEREAS, The obligation and privilege to serve as a juror are as fundamental to our democracy as the right to vote; and
WHEREAS, The tradition of trial by jury began in America in 1623 via a codified law which stated that “all criminal facts, and also matters of trespass and debts… should be tried by the verdict of twelve honest men to be impanelled by authority in form of a jury upon their oath”; and
WHEREAS, Service by citizens as jurors is indispensable to the functioning of our courts, and our judicial system; and
WHEREAS, More citizens should be encouraged to respond when summoned for jury service; and
WHEREAS, A continuing and imperative goal for the courts, the bar, and civic organizations is to ensure that jury selection and jury service are fair, effective, and not unduly burdensome to our community; and
WHEREAS, The courts, the bar, civic associations, and individual citizens should have greater appreciation for the jury system and for the thousands of citizens who annually give of their time and talents to serve on juries; and
WHEREAS, The goals of Juror Appreciation Day are to applaud the efforts of jurors who fulfill this most important civic duty; educate the public about jury duty and the importance of jury service; ensure that the responsibility of jury service is shared fairly among citizens and that a fair cross section of the community is called for jury service; ensure that all jurors are treated with respect and that their service is not unduly burdensome; provide jurors with tools that will assist their decision-making; and continue to improve the jury system in the City of Philadelphia by encouraging productive dialogue between jurors and court; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby commemorate Friday, June 9, 2018 as Juror Appreciation Day in the City of Philadelphia and that the undersigned support the celebration of this day which shall include various activities, in furtherance of the aforementioned goals.
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