An interesting article in the New York Times describes how Judges in the United States are facing problems with prospective jurors. Due to the recession, more and more people are complaining they are unable to take 4-5 weeks off work to sit on a trial.

In some cases, the prospective jurors have stated that such an absence from work would be a financial ruin. I am not aware if this is a problem in Canada but I suspect that it could be.

This raises an important legal issue on the mindset of a juror. If an individual is off work for a certain period of time to sit on a jury this would likely have an impact on his or her ability to adequately deliberate.

The article is here.