Students might not have to serve their jury duty during college semesters if the state Senate approves a state bill the House OK’d last Wednesday.
Rep. Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant, introduced the bill, which would let full-time college students postpone duty until the end of the school year.
Supporters say the proposed legislation would make it easier on students who might find it arduous to coordinate while attending classes.
“Students have enough to focus on during the school year without the added stress of serving on a jury,” Cotter said in a statement. “Many students attend school hours away from home, and (the) added pressure of traveling in addition to missing class can be extremely overwhelming.”
Students — like all U.S. citizens (except those with disabilities or those who would incur “extreme financial burden”) — would still have to be jurors at some point.
High schoolers already can postpone jury duty. The legislation would extend that right to those attending public universities, community colleges and other higher education institutions.
It’s unclear how exactly it would impact local courts.
Denise McCrimmon, the East Lansing 54-B District Court administrator, doubts the legislation would have any effect on the court.
The city doesn’t track the number of jurors who happen to be students, it’s impossible to say whether this would make it harder to find enough jurors.
People are simply assigned a number by the Secretary of State, qualifying by their residency, McCrimmon said. Jurors serving in East Lansing, for example, would have to be residents of the city — which MSU students are.
It’s unlikely the law would have any fiscal impact on the state’s courts, said Kyle Jen, deputy director of the House Fiscal Agency.
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