brazoria county jury duty
"What is important about this whole thing is that juries and jury selection is the bedrock of our justice system," said Shellist. En cliquant sur Accepter tout, vous acceptez que Yahoo et nos partenaires traitent vos informations personnelles et utilisent des technologies telles que les cookies pour afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss, et des fins de mesure des publicits et des contenus, dtude des audiences et de dveloppement de produit. The process by which Barchak assembled the final stack is unclear. This is improper. Listen for the judge to give you instructions about when to come forward to discuss your need to be excused based on some hardship. For updates on this story, follow Tom Abrahams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you. Barchaks method, said Matagorda County district clerk Janice Hawthorne, takes away the whole random process., In additional to potentially violating state law, Barchaks system appears to differ from her own jury plan, which she submitted to the Brazoria County Commissioners Court for approval in 2018. And then, white residents who (also) didn't live in Pearland, and nonwhite residents who (also) didn't live in Pearland. Barchaks methods were widely known to county officials, Lewis said. Unfortunately there are no business/self-employment exemptions administered by the state legislature at this time. Theres a large cultural difference between Pearland and Freeporta small rural townalthough theyre in the same county.. Do not make personal inspections, observations, investigations, or experiments nor personally view premises, things or articles not produced in court. While Barchak has remained silent since stepping down, her attorney, Chip Lewis, gave Texas Monthly an accountpublished here for the first timeof her method of selecting jurors, asserting that her only aim was to assemble a representative cross section of the countys population. The court has the discretion to hear any reasonable sworn excuse of a prospective juror and either release the juror from jury service or reschedule the juror's jury service for another day. Yes, you may take care of this matter by indicating on the back of the summons that they are enrolled in college and just sign your name as a parent and return to Jury Services. Citizens over the age of 70 can be exempt from jury service under this age exception.. YES! Do not even discuss this case among yourselves until after you have heard all of the evidence, the court's charge, the attorneys' arguments and until I have sent you to the jury room to consider your verdict. August 27, 2021, 9:30 PM. State law mandates the process for selecting prospective jurors. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. However, if you are qualified to serve and you do not ask to be excused or exempted, you will be able to participate in the jury selection process which may take only a day or a fraction of a day to complete. For at least six years, the district clerk in Brazoria County used a highly unusual and possibly illegal system to assemble jury panels. "Rhonda assumed the duties of the Brazoria County District Clerk on July 2, 2010. You will not be asked, and you should not consider, whether one party or the other should win. Listen carefully and follow the instructions given by court personnel and the judge. All evidence must be presented in open court so that each side may question the witnesses and make proper objection. Unfortunately your employer is not currently required by Texas state law to pay you while you are serving jury duty. I am a resident of the City of Angleton for which the court is established. You are not required to claim an exemption from jury service. Except for specially called jury panels (which are very rare) Brazoria County allows every juror one postponement for any reason at all in order for everyone to have the opportunity to pick a date better suited for their individual schedule. Your participation is important to Texas! But if she was aiming for a venire that reflected the countys population, she had a problem: Brazoria Countys population has become more diverse, changing from 51 percent non-white to 57 percent non-white in the years since 2015. Civil rights activists, who have protested several times in front of the Brazoria County courthouse, allege that Barchak was rigging juries to put non-white defendants at a disadvantage. Texas has a statutory exemption that allows individuals over a certain age to request exemption from jury duty. (Texas Government Code 62.102. Own the property in the year in which you apply. Multiple judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and dozens of other county employees were privy to the process of jury empanelment, he said, and no one ever expressed any dissatisfaction or complaint about the process, as the process did not disenfranchise [any] potential jurors. Top officials, including Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta, declined requests for an interview. If you would like to serve even though you are eligible for an exemption then we certainly appreciate your choosing to do so. Former Brazoria County District Clerk's jury pool selection process under scrutiny. However the law states that an employer can not terminate your employment for attending jury service. Texas Monthly contacted 38 current and former district court employees to try to confirm Lewiss description of Barchaks system; all either failed to respond or declined to comment. To serve as a juror, you must meet the following specific qualifications: To claim an exemption from jury service contact the court Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 979-849-2471. 111 E. Locust St. Jury lists are created using names randomly selected from our water utility listing. Are over 70 years of age (You may also request a permanent age 70 exemption. Failure to Answer Jury Summons. Lewis said Barchak knew nothing about the trials for which jurors were being selected. As a full-time student, you can be exempted from jury duty if participating in them will make you miss a significant amount of classes. Municipal Court Office will be closed Thursday, March 02, 2023, in observance of Texas Independence Day. HOUSTON, TEXAS 77002. She always did everything possible to ensure juries in Brazoria County reflected a properly representative cross section of the community. As in most small Texas counties, where juror cards are still usedsome larger counties have switched to electronic systems, which generate randomized veniresall the cards are typically either shuffled in one big stack or mixed up on a table to create a stack. The Brazoria County District Attorney's Office has received information that leads them to believe jury panels may have been assembled in a manner "inconsistent with applicable statutes and law.". ); Are the primary caretaker of a person who is unable to care for himself or herself (This exemption does not apply to health care workers. Though the court or the county may provide parking or reimburse parking costs, you might have to pay them initially. ATTENTION JURORS: ), (Texas Gov't Code 62.111. The reason she divided the cards into four categories, he said, was to ensure a representative distribution of potential jurors. Also, you may need money to pay for snacks, lunch, or pay phones. In a statement sent to ABC13 on Friday, Brazoria County District Attorney Tom Selleck said, "The law requires jurors to be selected at random and it is this process that is alleged to have been conducted improperly.". Do not mingle with nor talk to the lawyers, the witnesses, the parties, or any other person who might be connected with or interested in the case, except for casual greetings. Local judges may restrict certain attire, such as shorts, cutoff, sleeveless shirts, sandals, and hats. Among the district clerk candidates in next years election is Barchaks former chief deputy, Republican Cayla Meyers, who recently resigned. Is any of the above incorrect? Although the courts make every effort to avoid delays, they sometimes will occur. Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. **Jury Trial has been canceled for Thursday, September 15, 2022. Theres a tremendous amount of liability on the part of the county.. The Jury Services Department coordinates the creation and service of jury panels for the District Courts, County Courts at Law, and the Justice of the Peace Courts. Each juror receives ten dollars ($10) for the first day of appearance and forty dollars ($40) for the second and any subsequent days of appearance. Depending on local laws and specific court policies, exemptions MAY include persons over age 70, and those having recently served on a jury (usually within 1-3 years depending on county policy). You can also expect to receive a brief orientation in the courtroom or in the jury assembly room regarding jury service. As in all Texas counties, eligible Brazoria residents are summoned to jury duty at random, based on an electronic list provided by the Texas Secretary of State. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. Its free. "I kept telling my son, 'I am not stopping until I come to some kind of conclusions on who did what,'" Hagger said. These allegations about a corrupt process first surfaced in late August. The community [stretches] from Pearland to Freeport, he said. You do not need any special skills or legal knowledge to be a juror! ); Have legal custody of a child younger than 12 years of age and your service on the jury requires leaving the child without adequate supervision; Are a student of a public or private secondary school; Are a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an institution of higher education; Are an officer or an employee of the senate, house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch of government; Have served as a petit juror in the county during the 24-month period preceding the date you are required to appear for this summons. Citing the Texas Rangers ongoing investigation, which is expected to wrap up by the end of this month, Selleck would not comment further about what Barchak did with those four piles of cards, or about any other details of the case. What matters to him is that the law is followed, Green says. You can, however, claim payment if your earnings are in any way affected by your participation. As a result of her idiosyncratic system, thousands of verdicts could potentially be overturned, and the county could face an avalanche of lawsuits claiming wrongful convictions. Angleton, TX 77515-4678, Brazoria County Courthouse This discussion has been locked. Exemption from Jury Service). You are not required to claim an exemption even though one might apply to you. Selleck also announced that he requested the assistance of the Texas Rangers Public Integrity Unit to help investigate the matter. Rhonda Barchak was the Brazoria County District Clerk for 11 years. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Jury Services (979) 361-4224 300 East 26th Street, Suite 2214 Bryan, TX 77803 . On the morning of July 19, several hundred Brazoria County residents appeared for jury duty in downtown Angleton, a fifty-minute drive south of Houston. Not have served as a juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court. Bowie County Jury Trial Plan: 11: Brazoria: Brazoria County Recertification: Brazoria County: Brazoria County Jury Trial Plan: 02: Brazos: Brazos County Recertification: Brazos County: Brazos County Jury Trial Plan: 06: Brewster Brewster County: Brewster County Jury Trial Plan: 09: Briscoe Briscoe County 05: Brooks Brooks County 07: Brown Brown . Into four categories, he said ), ( Texas Gov't Code 62.111 sleeveless shirts, sandals and! Names randomly selected from our water utility listing were widely known to County officials, Lewis said proper.! Avoid delays, they sometimes will occur 15, 2022 need money to pay them initially Meyers, recently. Individuals over a certain age to request exemption from jury service under age! 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