Vol. 30, No. 2 #5 (April 2007). The Making of Inside a Wyoming Jury.

• Author: By Sharon Wilkinson

Wyoming Bar Journal

2007.

Vol. 30, No. 2 #5 (April 2007).

The Making of Inside a Wyoming Jury

WYOMING LAWYER Vol. 30, No. 2 (April 2007) The Making of "Inside a Wyoming Jury" By Sharon Wilkinson

Jury duty. Those simple words oftentimes have a negative connotation among U.S. citizens. Many of us have been the recipient of a jury summons. Unfortunately for some, the first thought that comes to mind is, "How do I get excused?" Jury duty undoubtedly places an inconvenience on our routine lives, but it is the goal of the Wyoming State Bar to alter that perception and point out what a great responsibility jury service is - one of which we should be proud and take very seriously. Serving on a jury is our civic right, and it helps to keep alive our right of trial by jury.

The Wyoming State Bar is proud to partner with Wyoming Public Television in the production of "Inside a Wyoming Jury," a one-hour television program that will air on Law Day - May 1, 2007.

Representatives from the Wyoming State Bar, the Wyoming Supreme Court, the Wyoming Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, and numerous court clerks from around Wyoming met with the producers of Wyoming Public Television to determine the most effective way to demonstrate the importance of the jury system. What could be more effective than an actual trial with a real jury? Well, we came close. Using an actual Wyoming murder case, Trusky v. State, plans were quickly under way for a mock trial.

We all understand the difficulty court clerks face in getting jurors to carry out their civic duty and serve on a real jury. Imagine, if you will, the difficulty I experienced in trying to find 12 jurors to volunteer their time in order to serve on a mock jury where their every action and word was caught on film! After some struggles and last-minute scrambling from some of our Wyoming court clerks, I was fortunate to find 12 volunteers from different areas of Wyoming who had previous jury experience. Some had served on the more celebrated cases (i.e. Cantrell, Eaton) and others had served only a few weeks prior to the filming. One thing these jurors had in common, however, was a respect and a belief in the jury system.

Jury selection was complete, and now we needed a defense attorney, a prosecutor, a judge, and oh . . . a place to film all of this...