New York’s first virtual juror selection and orientation in Manhattan

June 7, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Judge George Silver. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese

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A small group of Manhattan residents who meet juror eligibility requirements will participate in an online, virtual pilot program to appear remotely through Microsoft Teams – to their assigned places at the Supreme Court, Civil Term – marking a first for New York State jurisprudence. Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks and New York County Clerk and Commissioner of Jurors, Milton A. Tingling, announced the pilot program on Tuesday.

Jurors who lack connection to the internet or internet-capable device will be provided with the necessary equipment in advance for their service. A virtual help desk is available on hand to offer assistance to participating jurors, which additionally tests jurors’ equipment prior to their date of service. Instructions and guidelines are available on the court systems’ website.

The pilot program will then be carefully assessed, examining the equipment needs of prospective jurors, the resources required ahead of and on the jurors’ service date, and the demographics of the program participants, among other factors, in planning its potential replication in other counties.

New York County Clerk and Commissioner of Jurors, Milton A. Tingling. Photo courtesy of UFT.org

“With this exciting initiative, the court system continues to explore and extend its use of technology, moving cases forward while allowing jurors to fulfill their civic duty with a minimum of inconvenience. We look forward to evaluating the expansion of this concept to other parts of the State, including our rural communities, in our ongoing efforts to increase juror response rates and ensure that our jury pools reflect New York’s rich diversity,” said Chief Administrative Judge Marks.

“New York County is honored to have been selected for the pilot program. We look forward to the evaluation and, hopefully, implementation of this new use of technology throughout the State. As is said, ‘If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere,’’ said New York County Clerk Tingling.