From the Belleville News-Democrat
A new law taking effect this month requiring higher pay for Illinois jurors will more than double county governments’ costs, and will lower the number of people on civil juries.
The law, signed by former Gov. Pat Quinn last December, raises the pay jurors receive in compensation for their service, and reduces the number of jurors required for a civil case to six.
Previously, jurors were paid a fee that varied from county to county, some as little as $5 per day. In Madison and St. Clair counties, jurors were paid $10 per day, plus mileage counted from the juror’s home to the courthouse.
Under the new law, jurors will be paid $25 for the first day and $50 for each additional day their presence is required. Mileage will likely no longer be compensated, according to county officials.
While a juror cannot be fired for missing work for jury duty, Illinois does not require that employers pay their people for that time.
Madison County expects to see its budget for juror pay double, from $72,152 last year to approximately $144,000 next year. In St. Clair County, they expect to see even larger increases: from $84,286 last year to an estimated $400,000 for a full year under the new rules, according to St. Clair County Administrator Debra Moore. That is a general estimate, Moore said, as she is watching a proposed amendment in the hopes that the new pay will be reduced.
“We view it as another unfunded mandate that is excessively expensive,” Moore said. “We will be challenged to identify resources to recover the costs.”
The changes were supported by plaintiff attorneys. John Cooney, the immediate past president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers association, said the previous pay rates for jurors in Illinois were “almost insulting.”
“For those living paycheck to paycheck, we’ve seen people have their cars repossessed,” he said. “They aren’t going to be wealthy, but at least it offsets their transportation costs and meals. When I hear people say it doesn’t matter, it’s usually the people who can afford to do it.”
But John Pastuovic of the business-backed Illinois Civil Justice League believes plaintiff attorneys have another agenda behind the measure. The law also reduces the required number of jurors in civil cases from 12 to six.
“This legislation wasn’t really about jurors’ pay; the pay issue was really a ruse,” Pastuovic said. “(The new pay rate) isn’t going to really compensate people for their time. What this legislation was really about was decreasing the size of juries.”
Pastuovic said he believes smaller juries might be more easily swayed by a dominant personality and will mean higher awards for plaintiffs.
“A smaller jury often means a different outcome,” he said.