Proposal to hike pay for jurors in Harris County denied — for now

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and her colleagues on Commissioners Court declined to support a proposal to increase pay for jurors and instead referred the idea for more study.

District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, a Democrat, pitched the idea of hiking juror pay from $6 to $50 for the first day of service and from $40 to $80 for any subsequent days. The hike would make Harris County jurors the highest-paid in Texas.

Burgess’s office had commissioned a study that found residents, especially people of color, said they would be more likely to show up for jury duty when summoned if the pay was higher. He proposal also included free parking for jurors.

The liberal majority that controls Commissioners Court was unconvinced. Hidalgo said she supported paying jurors more, but said Burgess had not produced any evidence showing that her proposal would help make Harris County juries more diverse. She questioned the accuracy of the district clerk’s study, which was performed by a third party.

“That’s one survey of Harris County, which is not clear to what extent the results are statistically significant, or to the extent the sample is representative,” Hidalgo said.

Budget Officer David Berry, who reports to Commissioners Court, said his office had reviewed Burgess’s proposal but did not endorse it.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, a Republican, said while boosting juror pay may make judges feel like they are more generous, he would be interested in research that shows a raise has actually boosted juror participation in a county. At times, Burgess said 80 percent of Harris County residents have ignored summonses.

Several community leaders, including from the Super Neighborhood Alliance and Mi Familia Vota, spoke in support of the pay increase. Burgess said if court members were skeptical, they could simply revert to the old system at the end of the fiscal year if it did not produce results.

She said the cost of the increases, estimated at $1.8 million in the current fiscal year, would be cheaper now because courts are holding fewer trials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The judges have signed on in support of it. The community civic leaders say it’s the only way you’re going to get the lower socioeconomic people to appear for jury duty,” Burgess said. “We have discussed this for two years and now is the time to implement it.”

The court, including Republican commissioners Tom Ramsey and Jack Cagle, agreed to ask the district clerk, budget office, Justice Administration Department and other stakeholders to meet and develop a revised proposal within 30 days.

Juror pay varies by county, but the first day pays a minimum of $6.

Like Harris, Bexar, Dallas, Travis, Tarrant and El Paso counties all pay $6 for the first day and $40 for subsequent days of service.