An overdue increase to juror per diems and groundbreaking research into juror participation.
The AB 1981 Jury Pilot Program (Assem. Bill 1981 [Lee]; Stats 2022, ch. 326, effective January 1, 2023) made a number of changes to juror per diems. It expanded the mileage reimbursement from one way to $0.34 per mile roundtrip. It created a new public transit reimbursement of up to $12 per day, starting on the first day of service, and authorized courts to engage in partnerships with public transit agencies to better serve jurors without access to private vehicles. This is the first increase to juror per diems in approximately 20 years. The law also mandated the creation of a pilot program to explore what impact, if any, increasing juror per diems would have on juror diversity and participation. The Judicial Council partnered with the Superior Courts of Alameda, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Monterey, San Bernardino, and Shasta to implement this initiative and, starting September 1, 2024, juror per diems increased from $15 to $100 per day and mileage reimbursements from $0.34 to $0.67 per mile roundtrip. The Judicial Council contracted with experts from the National Center for State Court’s to survey participants and collect demographic data for a legislative report to be delivered by September 1, 2026.
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