FRANKFORT – A Senate committee approved a bill today that would alter aspects of
jury service throughout the commonwealth.
Senate Bill 87 would allow Kentucky’s 54 judicial districts to accept volunteers for
jury duty. These volunteer jurors would still be subject to jury selection and voire
dire like any other person called for jury duty, said Sen. Dan “Malano” Seum,
R-Fairdale, who introduced the legislation. The volunteer could only serve as a
juror once a year, according to the bill’s language.
Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, a lawyer by trade, cast the only vote against SB 87.
“I just like the random cross section of society that a jury in its present form
takes,” she said, “and I think that’s important to access to justice and yielding a
good, fair result.”
Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, a former law enforcement official, voted for the
measure but expressed concern.
“My concern is that we hold the jury sacred as being a jury of your peers both in
the Kentucky Constitution and the United States Constitution,” he said.
SB 87 now goes to the Senate floor for further consideration.