55,000 Questionnaires to be Mailed for 2015 Maui Jury Pool

Second Circuit Court Maui. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

An estimated 55,000 juror questionnaires will be mailed out to residents in Maui County as the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary seeks potential jurors for the 2015 jury pool.

The Judiciary announced it will begin mailing questionnaires on August 4, 2014, to individuals who have a Hawaiʻi driver’s license, and are registered to vote in the state.

According to the announcement, those who receive a questionnaire have 10 days to complete and return it to the Jury Pool Office, or face possible penalty.  Those who receive a subsequent jury summons in the mail, are obligated to report for jury service.

To be eligible, a juror must be at least 18 years old, a citizen of the US, a resident of Hawaiʻi, and able to read and understand English.

The mailer is sent out every August to potential jurors around the state, with a total of 235,000 questionnaires being sent out statewide this year.

In issuing the announcement, administrative officials with the judiciary said, “Although jury service takes people away from their personal and professional obligations, many of those who’ve served find it a rewarding experience. Moreover, jury service, like voting, is a way that each and every citizen can actively participate in government.”

Jurors receive $30 per day for jury service and a mileage reimbursement of 33 cents per mile between home and court.

Maui jurors are not reimbursed for taxi fare. Jurors from Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi that are serving on Maui are reimbursed for air, boat and taxi receipts, but not for car rentals or additional stops en-route to the courthouse.

Lānaʻi jurors are also asked to arrive a day prior to their scheduled court date, and are reimbursed for hotel reservations at the Maui Beach or Maui Seaside, and must checkout the morning of their court appearance.