No federal jury duty for volunteers?
Both houses of Congress have passed bills enabling volunteer public safety personnel to be exempt from federal jury duty. If it becomes law, volunteer firefighters and ambulance crew members can thank Bud Gannon.
Gannon is a member and a commissioner of the Volunteer Fire Department of North Sea, New York. During a meeting held by Congressman George Hochbrueckner for his constituents last December, Gannon said he thought it unfair that volunteer firefighters were denied some of the rights given to paid firefighters, such as exemption from federal jury duty. He asked that the law be changed to provide for the exemption.
Hochbreuckner researched the law and in February introduced an exemption bill. It became part of a larger court reform bill, the Court Reform and Access to Justice Act of 1988. That bill was passed by the House of Representatives in September; a Senate version was passed in October. Die measure was sent to the president’s desk for his signature.
