By Kaci Singer
As Texas celebrates its third annual Jury Appreciation Week starting today, we pause to honor those citizens who give of their time to participate in our judicial system.
Jury Appreciation Week was created by the 84th Legislature and was first celebrated in 2016. To mark the occasion, the State Bar of Texas has produced the Jury Appreciation Week Guide to offer ideas on how to celebrate Jury Appreciation Week in your communities. Please note that although Jury Appreciation Week is designated to occur during the first week in May each year, it may be observed anytime.
The State Bar of Texas Jury Service Committee is dedicated to developing and implementing programs to help ensure broad citizen participation and support for jury service. We encourage you to visit our website at texasbar.com/juryservice for additional resources, including public service announcements, educational pamphlets, and articles of interest.
Many other states will be celebrating jury service during the first week in May, which also coincides with Law Day on May 1. You can find additional ideas for celebrating jury service week at americanbar.org. The State Bar of Texas has provided this information to court clerks and judges across the state and encouraged them to organize Jury Appreciation Week activities.
We hope that by small, consistent acts of appreciation, jurors will better understand the critical role they play in our system of justice and truly feel our gratitude.
Kaci Singer is an Austin attorney and the 2017-2018 chair of the State Bar of Texas Jury Service Committee.