Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

Dallas Morning News
March 23, 2008

Re: "Perry's day in court – Governor reports for jury duty, gets struck again," Wednesday news story.

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas applauds Gov. Rick Perry for answering the call for jury service. Even though Mr. Perry was not selected, he took the time to report to the courthouse as part of the jury pool.

Unfortunately, too many Texans do not. In some counties, 80 percent of those summoned for jury service do not report. At the same time, a majority of Texans surveyed by CALA last year said they supported stronger sanctions against no-shows, including increased fines and even driver's license suspension for repeated no-shows.

Although most Texans believe serving on a jury is an important right, obviously we're talking the talk but not walking the walk when it actually comes to reporting.

Jury no-shows jeopardize justice. Every citizen should do his or her part to bring fairness and balance to the civil justice system by serving on a jury when called.

Jill Shackelford, board of directors, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas, Austin.