(The city, with a population of 122,000, is the conservative countys largest, accounting for one third of its population. Occasionally, we have a juror who privately seeks out information about a case on trial. For more information about this topic, please refer to this website: www.BrazosCountyJury.com. Be sure that you know where you are supposed to report. Meanwhile, community activist Quanell X is now working with families who say their loved ones trials were impacted by how these juries were assembled. The district attorney considers the matter closed and that "currently, based on the investigation (by the Texas Rangers) there are no cases or convictions being reviewed. Solicitation Opportunities With Brazos County, National/State Veteran Cemetery Locations, Request Brazos County Birth, Death, and/or Marriage Certificate. Local judges may restrict certain attire, such as shorts, cutoff, sleeveless shirts, sandals, and hats. Before choosing to reschedule your service please understand that you are limited to just ONE change so please be sure that you choose your new appearance date carefully. While some counties choose to mail a questionnaire to prospective jurors to determine their eligibility prior to mailing the official jury summons, other counties mail the questionnaire and the jury summons together. and the Texas Rangers for their thorough and thoughtful investigation. The Government Code states that a person who fails to comply with this summons is subject to a contempt action punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 (62.0141). The district attorney considers the case closed, but it may not be over. Step 2: Maintain hygiene: You should make sure your hair is clean, your skin is clean, your teeth are brushed, and your fingernails are trimmed. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. Let us know here, 23rd District Court111 E Locust, Rm 4040.0 mile away, 149th District Court111 E Locust, Rm 214A0.0 mile away, 239th District Court111 E Locust, Rm 310A0.0 mile away, 2023 Everything-Bytes | Terms of Use & Privacy Policy. When you report for jury service, you will likely find that there are well-trained court personnel available to assist you and to answer any questions that you may have concerning jury duty. They will have the same instructions and you will understand it when they do. Wear shoes that are suitable for the court. Jury. The easiest way to get out of jury duty is by not being qualified in the first place. This exemption is available to those homeowners who are 65 years of age or older. That is, by definition, not random., In late August the Commissioners Court appointed former municipal judge Donna Starkey as interim district clerk. Brazoria County is 43 percent white, 31 . I have not been convicted of theft or any felony. 300 East 26th Street. Except for specially called jury panels (which are very rare) Brazoria County allows every juror one postponement for any reason at all in order for everyone to have the opportunity to pick a date better suited for their individual schedule. As a result of her idiosyncratic system, thousands of verdicts could potentially be overturned, and the county could face an avalanche of lawsuits claiming wrongful convictions. Your participation is important to Texas! She left the job after law enforcement began investigating the possibility that she wrongly empaneled jury pools. A mother might say, my child was taken away from me, and that was illegally done by a jury. The Court entry and parking lot face Chenango Street. You will be asked to return the completed questionnaire to the court by mail, or to bring the completed questionnaire with you when you report for jury service. Theres a tremendous amount of liability on the part of the county.. Website: http://www.brazoria-county.com/directory.asp, Staff: Senior Administrator - Alice Logsdon. But Rhonda Barchak, a Republican who served as district clerk in the fast-growing county that stretches from the Houston suburbs to the Gulf Coast, had her own method. Jury service is a privilege that offers the average citizen an unequaled opportunity to influence and deliberate over fundamental matters of justice. Mrs. Barchak remains grateful for the opportunity to have served her community. With your cooperation and attention to detail, the jury selection process may run smoother and be completed faster. This guide gives you the information you need when you have been called for jury duty and directs you to additional resources that can explain the court system and jury process. Yes, you may take care of this matter by indicating on the back of the summons that they are enrolled in college and just sign your name as a parent and return to Jury Services. Do not consider, discuss, nor speculate whether or not any party is or is not protected in whole or in part by insurance of any kind. You dont need training to read the Code of Criminal Procedure, Sheppard said. A juror who is lawfully notified to attend court is subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 if that juror either: fails to attend court in obedience to the notice without a reasonable excuse; or. Friday, October 8, 2021. August 27, 2021, 9:30 PM. any other program(s) approved by the commissioners court. SB0168E 12/15 41651 12/15 An employer who terminates, threatens to terminate, penalizes, or threatens to penalize an employee because the employee performs jury duty is subject to sanctions for contempt of court and payment of damages to the employee. Under state law, jurors are supposed to be selected at random from the pool of those whove been called to jury duty. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. County of Brazos 300 E 26th Street Bryan, TX 77803 Email the County of Brazos More contact info . A venire evenly divided between white and non-white residents would have meant underrepresentation of people of color on juries. Please write on the front or back of the summons Active duty military and return to our office. Do not accept from, nor give to, any of those persons any favors however slight, such as rides, food, or refreshments. Do not seek information contained in law books, dictionaries, public or private records or elsewhere, which is not admitted in evidence. Type "postpone jury duty" and then your county. Texas does not specify the randomization method that clerks must use, he said, so Barchaks system was fairer than simply shuffling the cards. Because jury duty involves some waiting, bring something to read to help you pass the time. 111 E. Locust St. Why did I receive a summons and what do I do now? Brazoria County district attorney Tom Selleck first acknowledged what he termed "irregularities" in an August 25 public statement, writing that "jury trial panels may have been assembled in . Barchaks method, said Matagorda County district clerk Janice Hawthorne, takes away the whole random process., In additional to potentially violating state law, Barchaks system appears to differ from her own jury plan, which she submitted to the Brazoria County Commissioners Court for approval in 2018. Texas Monthly contacted 38 current and former district court employees to try to confirm Lewiss description of Barchaks system; all either failed to respond or declined to comment. You will need to be fair, impartial, and be willing to make decisions that are not based on your personal feelings and biases. The information contained on this web site is not intended to take the place of the instructions given by the judge or the court concerning any aspect of jury service. Her attorney is maintaining her innocence. Be aware that you will likely be asked to shut off pagers and cellular phones before entering the jury room or courtroom. Sometimes the cards were shuffled, and sometimes they were organized according to the order in which the jurors arrived for duty. Hagger has reached out to Congressman Al Green, who confirmed to ABC13 he is working to learn more about the irregularities in the jury system in Brazoria County. the Texas Legislature outlawed the controversial key man method of grand jury selection, Inside the Karaoke Bar Where Texas Lawmakers Serenade Each Other, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. If a delay occurs while you are present for jury service, please try to be patient with the court staff. Each juror receives ten dollars ($10) for the first day of appearance and forty dollars ($40) for the second and any subsequent days of appearance. Jury Services (979) 361-4224 300 East 26th Street, Suite 2214 Bryan, TX 77803 . Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Wendy Davis Returns to the Texas Capitol and a Whole New Political Landscape, Red McCombs Turned Old San Antonio on Its Head, Attorney General Ken Paxton Agrees to Apologize and Pay $3.3 Million to Whistleblowers, Running Into Fire: The Legacy of Jeff Blackburn, Inside the Bro-tastic Party Mansions Upending a Historic Austin Community, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. All Rights Reserved. "I'm putting my faith in the Department of Justice to come back with their conclusion in what they're discovering and finding in a jury tampering system and what took place in Brazoria County, Texas," Quanell told ABC13. *Please call to verify. The law says that all individuals are competent jurors unless specifically disqualified. As a full-time student, you can be exempted from jury duty if participating in them will make you miss a significant amount of classes. Jury duty is a valuable service to the community and is an important responsibility since jurors determine a defendants guilt or innocence and, in the case of a guilty finding, assess fines. I am a resident of the City of Angleton for which the court is established. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en consultant vos paramtres de vie prive. ~ 2 years, 0 mos ago Jan 18, '21 2:03pm. Jury service is an important civic and community duty. (979) 864-1836. Pour en savoir plus sur notre utilisation de vos informations, veuillez consulter notre Politique relative la vie prive et notre Politique en matire de cookies. Brazoria County resident Linda Hagger believes her son, Brandon Williams, was wrongly convicted 11 years ago. Angleton, TX 77515, Design By Granicus - Connecting People and Government. page at bit.ly/33kzxFb. Its not that hard.. However, you will probably be asked for a juror index number (or other number provided on the summons) and the service date (also on your summons). It is also one of the most politically moderate parts of the county.). Through service on a jury, a citizen has a direct hand in the administration of justice. When you report for jury service, you should receive or request a form that allows you to direct the county treasurer to donate your reimbursement for jury service to a designated charity or fund which should include: Your employer is not required to pay you for any time that you missed from work due to jury service. You then might be asked to provide new dates when you can serve. The Texas Rangers confirmed to ABC13 that their investigation is complete. But What Is It? If you are unfamiliar with the courthouse and its surroundings you should carefully review the instructions that are included with summonses. We hope you find this information beneficial. Pointed items, such as pocket knives or knitting needles, are not permitted in the courthouse. Entering the courthouse with a prohibited weapon is against the law. I am not under indictment or other legal accusation of a misdemeanor theft, felony theft or any other felony charge. To ensure the safety of everyone at the courthouse, expect to be screened through a metal detector and X-ray unit. 500, Angleton, TX 77515. To serve as a juror you must meet the following qualifications: For additional information about Juror exemptions please view the following document: - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. RELATED: Families want answers in Brazoria County jury selection: 'This is ridiculous'. A juror's greatest reward is the knowledge that they have discharged this duty faithfully, honorably, and well. Selleck, the district attorney, confirmed for the first time on Friday that Barchack sorted juror cards into the four categories Lewis described. 3. General Qualifications for Jury Service. At this time the only type of employment that may claim an exemption from jury duty is exemption No. ", $100 bond set for catalytic converter theft suspect's evading charge, Man on parole for murder charged in connection to Leslie Obi's killing, Oak pollen already a big problem, but strong storms could wash it away. Do not discuss anything about this case, or even mention it to anyone whomsoever, including your wife or husband nor permit anyone to mention it in your hearing until you are discharged as jurors or excused form this case. The DA's office has received information that leads them to believe jury panels may have been assembled improperly. The grand jury's decision not to . Theres a large cultural difference between Pearland and Freeporta small rural townalthough theyre in the same county.. (Supreme Court Rule of Civil Procedure 226a). Among the district clerk candidates in next years election is Barchaks former chief deputy, Republican Cayla Meyers, who recently resigned. "If it was something where these were truly, not-randomly-drawn perspective jurors, that could mean that every single jury that was put together, every panel for every defendant or plaintiff, whoever it may be, under the watch of this district clerk when it was done improperly, would probably, almost assuredly, would be entitled to a new trial," explained Steve Shellist, ABC13's legal analyst. Also, you might want to avoid parking in metered parking spaces because you do not know how long you will be in jury service. The summons needs to be returned indicating that the person does not live at the address. Bowie County Jury Trial Plan: 11: Brazoria: Brazoria County Recertification: Brazoria County: Brazoria County Jury Trial Plan: 02: Brazos: Brazos County Recertification: Brazos County: Brazos County Jury Trial Plan: 06: Brewster Brewster County: Brewster County Jury Trial Plan: 09: Briscoe Briscoe County 05: Brooks Brooks County 07: Brown Brown . *Not location specific. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Brazoria County District Courts DO Postpone Jury Dates. If any of these apply to you, contact the court to verify they observe the exemption. 1,870 talking about this. Gabriel Garcia Brazos County District Clerk 300 E. 26th Street, Suite 1200 If you would like to serve even though you are eligible for an exemption then we certainly appreciate your choosing to do so. "There are cases, I believe, will have to be overturned because of purposed racial bias, on purpose, against those defendants.". These rules apply to jurors the same as they apply to the parties and to me. A Grand Jury declined to indict a former Brazoria County District Clerk after she was accused of handpicking juries and the District attorney considers the case closed, but still it may not be over. by: Magnolia832 4 OP. Fx: (979) 361-4215 Hale County, TX Hermiston, OR Hill County, TX Lake Oswego, OR McKinney, TX . I am qualified to serve under the Constitution and laws to vote in this county. Not surprising given the political climate in Brazoria County. But the Legislature did not alter the system for selecting regular trial juries, and it remains unclear why Barchak would have changed her method at that time. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. While the lawyers are aware of your answers to the questionnaire that you filled out earlier, the lawyers and the judge may still ask you some of the same questions and some additional questions to ensure that you are indeed qualified to serve, and that you are indeed able to perform your civic duty in a fair and impartial manner. Its daily. The county may choose to provide additional forms of compensation or reimbursement, including: Your local court will provide you with information regarding the existence and extent of any of these programs. - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. Lawyers then conduct what is called voir dire (which means to speak the truth), which allows the lawyers and the judge to have the opportunity to ask each prospective juror a series of questions. Penalties for Failure to Answer Summons. Simply follow the I-Jury information enclosed with the juror summons you received. However, you may choose to be excused if you: (Texas Government Code 62.106. A prospective juror must be released entirely or rescheduled if the juror is required to appear in court on a religious holy day that is observed by the juror. Failure to Answer Jury Summons. ), (Texas Gov't Code 62.111. Williams is serving life for a murder, which Hagger believes he did not commit, and thinks an improper jury played a role in his conviction. A Grand Jury declined to indict a former Brazoria County District Clerk after she was accused of handpicking juries and the District attorney considers the case closed, but still it may not be over. Most Lake Jackson cases are concluded the same day. Next, Lewis said, Barchak would subdivide the two geographical piles into white and non-white jurors. RELATED: Families want feds to look into Brazoria Co. jury process: 'The truth is always going to come out'. 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