Judge Colombo tackles Wayne County's juror truancy problem

Judge is giving truant jurors 2nd chance before warrant issued for arrest

DETROIT – It's getting tougher to get people to show up for jury duty in Detroit and Wayne County.

However, one judge isn't letting people off the hook for blowing off the dreaded jury duty.

86,863 -- That's the number of jury summons that went out in 2014 to Wayne County and Detroit. More than half were ignored.

"When only 48 percent of jurors are appearing when you're calling in 84,000, that's a problem," said Judge Robert J. Colombo, of the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court.

Columbo is hauling many of them into court to give them another chance to say yes and be part of the governmental process.

"When you sit as a juror you actually sit as a judge. You do the same things that I do when I'm sitting as a judge," he said.

Those who still don't want to fulfill their civic duty can say no, but then a warrant goes out for their arrest. So the next time they get pulled over for a traffic violation, jury duty doesn't sound so bad.

Truant jurors cost plenty of taxpayer money in mailings, including follow-up postcards and manpower.


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Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.