How do I join the jury pool?
All you need to do is register.
Any U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years old, who can understand and read English, and who has not been convicted of a felony is eligible to register.
When I register with CoPO, do I have to provide ALL of the information requested?
No. Certain information is needed, such as your name and address, but you may “Decline to Answer” any question where that is offered as an option. If you do “Decline to Answer” any question, before Requesting to Serve on a case, you may wish to reconsider changing that response since attorneys may consider the responses you provide, or decline to provide, in the Jury selection process.
How is the information I provide in my Jury Registration used?
Court of Public Opinion uses the information you provide regarding your residence, availability, and preferred method of Jury service to identify the group of persons who are Qualified to serve as a Juror on upcoming hearings. As hearings are scheduled with CoPO, those Jurors will simultaneously be sent an e-mail and/or a text invitation to “Request to Serve” as a Juror on those hearings.
With the exception of your Private Information, attorneys may also use the information you provide, alone or combined with written/oral questions, to perform “Jury Selection” — a process where the “pool” of Jurors is whittled down the “panel” who will ultimately hear and decide the case.
Additionally, without identifying your Private Information, the demographic information you provide in the registration process may be used by the attorneys to look for patterns in how their Jury panel responded to their verdict.
See CoPO’s Privacy Policy for further details.
What happens after I register as a CoPO Juror?
You will instantly have exclusive access to the Jury Assembly Room at courtofpublicopinion.com. From there, you will be able to manage your Juror profile, identify and Request to Serve on upcoming Juror panels, and perform all acts necessary for your jury service.
How do I get on a Jury pool?
If you are Qualified (available and live in a specified locale) and want to serve as a Juror on a particular case, and you do not have any issues which might prevent you from deciding the case fairly, you should submit an online “Request to Serve”. Positions in the pool are limited, and are filled in the order that Requests to Serve are received. However, you should not submit a Request to Serve casually, as there can be negative consequences for you if you fail to serve as you originally requested.
How do I get out of the pool and onto a Jury panel?
Once the pool is filled, and no later than 7 days before the hearing, you need to submit an online “Confirmation of Attendance”. Your failure to timely confirm your service will cause you to be removed from that matter’s Jury pool, and may cause other negative consequences.
Submission of a Confirmation of Attendance guarantees that you will be paid for at least 1/2 day’s service, unless the hearing is timely canceled or continued, or the Juror is timely excused by the attorney(s) on that case. See Terms of Jury Service for further details.
Can I be excused from a Jury pool?
Yes. Hearings presented live to a Jury may be preceded by a jury selection process similar to that which would take place before the commencement of a courtroom jury trial, with the first Jurors to submit a Request to Serve being the first to be considered for inclusion on the Jury panel. However, because the parties will have advance access to the information you provide in your Juror profile, your responses to any written questions the parties may submit, and knowledge regarding the number of Jurors the parties need (including alternates), the parties can engage in a virtual Jury selection process, and excuse Jurors, before the commencement of a hearing to be presented live or online.
Excused Jurors will be compensated as provided for in CoPO’s Terms of Jury Service.
Will I receive any reminders?
Jurors are solely responsible for timely submitting their Confirmations of Attendance, and for providing their service when, where, and how indicated. CoPO will attempt to assist you in this by sending e-mail and text reminders in advance of each important event, but you are responsible for verifying your current Jury status, as well as the status of any hearings in which you may be involved, at courtofpublicopinion.com.
What if I am unable to serve, or fail to complete my service after I have already submitted a Request to Serve and/or a Confirmation of Attendance?
You are requested to immediately notify Court of Public Opinion if you find that you are unable to start or complete your Jury service. Absent extraordinary circumstances, such as the verifiable hospitalization or death of the Juror or a member of their household, the cancellation of your Jury service may cause negative consequences for you and your ability to be a Juror in the future.
What do I need to serve?
For live service, you do not need to bring anything special other than a printout of your e-mailed Juror badge and an official photo ID. You should also wear clothing appropriate to a courtroom. (No shorts, tank tops, flip flops, pajamas, etc.) Tablets upon which you may take notes during the hearing, view/review exhibits and Jury instructions, and submit your Verdict will be supplied by CoPO for your use during the hearing and your deliberations.
You are permitted to bring your cell phone to a live hearing, but your phone may not be used to conduct any case-related research, and it must be turned off or placed in silent mode during the hearing.
For online service, you do not need anything special other than your PC, notebook, laptop, or tablet, loaded with Google Chrome, and a reliable internet connection.
Minimum requirements:
– Operating system: Windows XP, Mac OSX Snow Leopard and newer.
– Google Chrome Browser
– Display Resolution: 1280 x 800 – Disable any pop-up blockers – Browser Javascript must not be disabled
– The use of a proxy server is not allowed
– Video and audio-capable system
How does online service compare to service at a hearing presented to a Jury live?
Jurors who serve online are not required to attend the hearing at a specific time and place but are instead required to view recorded proceedings during a specified window of time, allowing the Jurors to view and pause the proceedings when and as is more convenient to them. The online experience is otherwise designed to approximate that which Jurors at a live proceeding might have, including the ability to view uploads of text, photos, and videos admitted as evidence, and to read any provided jury instructions.
Can’t I just cheat?
To serve in any matter, each CoPO Juror is required to make several declarations under penalty of perjury. This includes, but is not limited to 1) representations made in your Juror Registration; 2) confirming that you can be impartial when serving as a juror in a matter involving the persons and events identified to you at the outset; 3) responses you provide to any questions asked by the attorneys; and 4) affirmations that your Verdict responses are yours. Any Juror found to violate their obligation to provide true and accurate information under penalty of perjury will be referred for civil and/or criminal prosecution.
All Jurors are required to view the same testimony and evidence at the same time or during the same time frame, to respond to Verdict questions, and hence fulfill the purpose of your service. Jurors attending live proceedings must be present when and where required, and any absence or lateness, even from a break, will prevent that Juror from further participating in that hearing, from being able to respond to Verdict questions, and hence from receiving any compensation in association with that matter. The same applies to Jurors who participate online, except that they must view the entire case by the time of the commencement of Juror deliberations, to be able to respond to Verdict questions, and hence to receive compensation in association with that matter.
Finally, since we can’t put courtroom attendants in the living rooms of each Juror who serves online, we have protocols in place to help ensure that you watch the entire presentation prior to the commencement of juror deliberations. Accordingly, the fast-forward and skip functions on your video player will be disabled for any segment of the hearing you have not completely viewed. Likewise, for those who might think to have someone else watch in your stead, or who might consider leaving the video playing while they go off and do something else, at semi-regular times during the video playback, a question will appear on their screen based upon the information that Juror provided in their Juror Registration. Any failure to correctly answer the question, within the limited number of seconds provided for that response, will result in the video’s being automatically “re-wound” to the point on the video’s last timely and correctly answered pop-up question.
How do Jurors deliberate?
Whether they serve online or at a live hearing, Jurors use electronic devices in deliberations to review uploaded pieces of evidence, recorded testimony, and jury instructions.
Jurors who serve online will, at a designated time, e-deliberate with their fellow Jurors through a hearing-dedicated, online chat board. Jurors who serve at a live hearing may deliberate in a traditional fashion, or e-deliberate through the online chat board, depending upon the preference of the litigants.
How do Jurors arrive at a Verdict?
Jurors who serve online will individually answer each Verdict question online, and each issue presented in the Verdict will be decided by combining the Verdict responses of all of the Jurors. For example, in a civil court trial, a party that bears the burden of proof on an issue must get 9 of 12 jurors, or 75% of them, to agree that the party has established that issue by a preponderance of the evidence. “Did Debbie Defendant negligently cause injuries to Paul Plaintiff?” If at least 9 of 12 (75%) of the trial’s Jurors answer “Yes” to this Verdict question, Paul Plaintiff will have met his burden of proving that Debbie Defendant negligently caused him injuries. The same result is true in a matter of a Jury, where a party bearing the burden of proof will satisfy that burden if at least 75% of the Jurors say they have. Likewise, the parties to the lawsuit can agree in advance if they want to use a particular percentile of the combined Juror responses, the mean, the average, or some other method for identifying the result of Verdict questions that call for a numeric response — “What percentage of fault do you assign to …?” or “What sum do you find reasonably compensates Paul Plaintiff for …?”
Depending upon the preference of the parties, Jurors who serve at a live hearing will respond to each Verdict question as a group (like in a traditional, state court, jury trial) or individually using the online Jury Verdict process described above.
How can I make sure that my Verdict determinations are accurately recorded?
When you electronically submit your responses to Verdict questions, a copy of your responses should be printed for your records and compared to those posted for your CoPO Juror number on that matter. Any discrepancy in those responses, which will simultaneously be transmitted to the parties/parties’ attorneys and any judge/neutral, should immediately be reported.
How will I know how my fellow Jurors decided?
For a limited time following the issuance of a matter’s Verdict, the Jurors who served on that matter will be able to see the Verdict responses.
How and when do I get paid for my service?
Subject to CoPO’s schedule of Jury Fees and Terms of Jury Service, Jurors will receive compensation within 7 days of the conclusion of the hearing in which they participated. Payment will be issued via the selected method specified during registration, which can be updated in your account profile.
Does my service as a Juror affect my civic duty to serve as a juror if and when summoned?
No. CoPO is a private, Jury dispute evaluation and resolution service, and not affiliated with any governmental entity or court system. Jurors are NOT excused from complying with any official Jury summons they may receive, or from providing Jury service as required by law. Likewise, participants are NOT statutorily entitled to take leave from any other employment they may have, and they are NOT entitled to compensation from their employers, for Jury service provided through CoPO.
COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION. AN ALTERNATE DISPUTE EVALUATION AND RESOLUTION SERVICE FOR A MODERN AGE.