Jury of Our Peers

In July 1996, then IADC President George Gore, asked Harry Mooney of Buffalo, New York, to serve as Chairperson of a study of the Civil Jury System in the United States. Working with ten other IADC members, Harry surveyed and evaluated all Federal and State jurisdictions to find out how each summoned, selected and empanelled civil jurors. They were also directed to recommend changes so that jurors who sat on the trial of a civil case truly represented a cross-section of the community and would be drawn from juror pools that fairly represented all segments of that community.

During the course of the following year, the Committee evaluated the Civil Jury System throughout the United States, prepared and submitted a report to the IADC Executive Committee and drafted a proposed model statute for representation in juror pools.