Letterman Appears for Jury Duty in New York City
ABC News reports that former late night talk show host, David Letterman, recently appeared for jury duty in New York City. After the experience, Letterman joked with reporters outside the courthouse, saying it felt like an audition. The late-night host made it through to the final group before being dismissed by peremptory challenge. No reason was given for the challenge.
Although he was ultimately not selected for the jury, the appearance gained attention due to his celebrity status. Letterman emphasized the importance of civic duty and expressed no objection to potentially serving on a case. The story highlighted the public interest and curiosity surrounding well-known figures participating in everyday civic responsibilities.
NCSC Releases New Briefing Papers from the State-of-the-States Survey of Jury Improvement Efforts
The NCSC Center for Jury Studies has published four new briefing papers highlighting findings from its 2023 State-of-the-States Survey of Jury Improvement Efforts (2023 SOS Survey). The papers describe jury operations in state courts, including trends in summoning and qualification procedures, juror compensation, and jury automation; the focus of current jury reform efforts in state courts, including reform efforts introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic; procedures and outcomes of criminal jury trials, especially trends since the 2007 SOS Survey; and an in-depth look at 402 jury trials described as “high-profile” in the study of recent jury trials. Findings are based on survey responses from 1,239 jury managers in local trial courts about jury operations and 5,860 judges and lawyers about their most recent jury trial.
Florida Adopts New Comparative Negligence Jury Instructions
An article on Law.com delves into the changes brought by Florida’s House Bill 837, which moves the state to a modified comparative negligence system. Under this system, plaintiffs can only recover damages if their share of fault is less than 51%. The new jury instructions guide jurors on evaluating fault and calculating damages, making this adjustment critical for how negligence cases are argued and decided in Florida. The article also examines the broader implications of these changes, particularly for plaintiffs and defense attorneys in personal injury litigation.