[Speaker A] 00:00 Questions. Your understanding of the orientation material is very important to you while you serve as a juror. If you have any questions about anything in this orientation presentation, please contact the Jury management office@wrnjury.ma I l b o x at n j c o u r t s.gov or 908-750-8100 extension 13010. [Speaker B] 00:36 Welcome to the On Demand Virtual Orientation for jurors in Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties. I am Judge Michael Crescitello, the Assignment Judge of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties. On behalf of Chief Justice Stewart Rabner and the entire New Jersey Judiciary, thank you for your time and attention to this orientation and thank you in advance if you were chosen to report for selection. This orientation video explains the process, including your rights and responsibilities and the critical role you may play in deciding a civil or criminal case. It provides necessary information about what is expected of you as a juror. Your willingness to engage in your constitutional duty that some consider to be the most fundamental obligation of citizenship is very much appreciated by all of us in the judiciary. It truly takes a special type of person like yourself to step forward to serve community willingly. Your service as a juror is important. The involvement of jurors from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives enriches the deliberative process and upholds public confidence in the administration of justice. Your participation ensures that justice is done. Service as a juror is a vital part of our justice system and your contribution ensures fairness in the outcome of matters before the Court. Juries uphold and strengthen the core values of our community. Thank you for taking this time to learn about the jury process. The New Jersey Judiciary is grateful for your participation. [Speaker A] 02:25 Thank you. The New Jersey Judiciary and Somerset Hunterdon Warren Vicinage. Thank you very much for your willingness to serve as a juror and for helping the judiciary continue to provide this vital function of our democracy. Your Role in the Justice Process the New Jersey Judiciary appreciates your time and patience during the jury selection process. Your service may include periods of waiting while the judge and parties address important aspects related to fairness. How Jurors Are Selected the Judiciary is legally required to use three sources to create the Master Jury New Jersey Division of Taxation Records, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Records and County Board of Elections voter registrations Qualification Requirements the New Jersey law establishes six criteria for a person to qualify for jury Be a resident of the county which you were summoned Be a citizen of the United States be at least 18 years old be able to read and understand English Be physically and mentally able to perform the functions of the juror. The Judiciary will provide accommodations consistent with the Americans with Disabilities act and have no conviction for an indictable offense. Term of Service the term of service is for one trial or as indicated on the summons. The judge will specify the expected time that the trial will last. If selected jurors serve for the length of time as specified by the judge. ADA Accommodations the New Jersey Judiciary will, with advance notice, provide accommodations consistent with the ada. Please see Jury Management Office staff if you would like to request an accommodation. Juror Badges Jurors must wear their badges at all times while in the courthouse. Electronic Devices Jurors are asked to keep their phones on silent when Jury Management staff or the judge is speaking. Outside Research is not permitted. The judge will explain in detail that jurors must not conduct any research regarding any information about the trial. This means that jurors must not research any aspect of the case, including the participants in the trial, through any means, whether electronic, including the Internet and social media or otherwise. Jurors who violate this directive will be reported to the judge for further action. Social Media Free Zone Please do not discuss any aspect of your PETTIT Jury service with anyone on social media, by text or by email until your PETTIT service has ended. Grand Jurors should never discuss any aspect of their service. Your day as a juror Please report at the time instructed. Reporting times will be emailed by the day prior to service at 5pm in addition to email, they can be found on NJC. Or by calling 908-750-8088. Jurors daily fee is set by law at $5. In addition to that daily fee, the law requires that petit jurors receive an additional $35 per day starting on their fourth consecutive day of service and and each day after. Payroll for jurors is typically processed every Friday. Checks are generally mailed two weeks from the date of processing. Breaks for on site jurors the judge, courtroom or jury staff will let you know when to take breaks or lunch. During breaks and lunch, jurors should avoid discussing the case or any of its details. Water coolers along with other refreshments are available for jurors. Jurors are welcome to bring their own food and drink to jury service. Restrooms are located outside the jury assembly room in all lobbies and deliberation rooms in the courtroom. Once you are assigned to a courtroom for jury selection, the judge will give you information about the trial schedule. All prospective jurors who have been challenged, excused or dismissed during selection will report to Jury Management unless instructed otherwise. Attendance Letter Jurors can access their attendance letter from the My Jury Service Portal after each day of service. If you did not submit your questionnaire through the Juror Portal and need a copy of your attendance letter, please notify the Jury Management office. Parking street parking is located around the courthouse and surrounding areas. Parking is available in the lot located on Mansfield street between the church and The Cummins Building, 202 Mansfield Street. Please be aware of areas marked with a two hour time limit. [Speaker C] 07:33 If you are watching this video, that means you have been summoned for jury duty. For some, the first reaction to seeing that summons is how inconvenient it will be to serve as a juror. After all, jury duty conflicts with everyday obligations we have at work and home. It interrupts the flow of our lives. Hold that thought for a moment and step back from the process temporarily so that we can appreciate how lucky we are to be able to think of jury service in that light. For centuries, all throughout the world, people have fought for one of the most fundamental rights known to all of us, the right to be judged by a jury of one's peers. Not by tyrants or dictators or professional jurists, but by our fellow citizens, by members of our community. Even today, people in foreign land strive for that basic element of any system of justice. We are fortunate to be able to take for granted the privilege enshrined in our federal and state constitutions, both of which guarantee the right to trial by jury. Along with that right and privilege comes responsibility. So when friends have asked me from time to time how they might get out of jury duty, my answer is always the we are lucky to live in a society that asks us to perform this basic duty of citizenship, and we must all serve when called or the system we value will not work. Thank you for appearing today as a potential juror. I hope that your service will be meaningful and rewarding. While it may be inconvenient in some respects, you have every right to be proud of your contribution to the cause of justice. [Speaker D] 09:15 Many things have changed about America since the Constitution was signed, but our basic trial process is essentially the same now as it has been for more than two centuries. Today, as always, you the juror, are the mainstay of American justice. We depend on your sense of fairness, your attention to duty and detail, your human experience. You and a million other Americans will judge more than 120,000 cases this year. And although each one is different, there are certain people and perspectives, procedures that are the same for every trial we're going to show you step by step what you can expect as a juror. You may be selected for a civil trial or for a criminal trial. A civil trial is among parties who have a dispute and need the court system to resolve it. A criminal trial deals with charges that a crime has been committed. In both cases, the one who initiates the case is called the plaintiff. The one who responds to the plaintiff's case is the defendant. And both sides are usually represented by attorneys. Depending on the type of case, the way we refer to the attorney for the plaintiff varies. In a civil trial, it's easy. We simply say the plaintiff's attorney. In a criminal trial, the State of New Jersey is actually the plaintiff. In this case, we call the attorney for the plaintiff the prosecutor. Your first encounter with the courtroom will be during the jury selection process. Roger Casella, please take seat number seven in the upper row. Megan Baxter, seat number eight, top row, next to the last juror. This is called voir dire, which is French for speak the truth. The person responsible for swearing in the jury and witnesses, as well as marking exhibits, is the court clerk. If sound recording equipment is being used to make the trial record, the clerk may also handle that equipment, or it may be sound recorded by a special operator or video recorded. When a trial is not being recorded by sound or video, you'll see a court reporter keeping the record. You may also see a sheriff's officer who maintains security and enforces decorum in the courtroom, and a court aide who is responsible for assisting with the proceedings. [Speaker E] 11:36 Ladies and gentlemen, as I mentioned in the beginning, I'll be asking you a series of questions. Please think carefully about your answers before you give them. And those of you still seated in the gallery, please also carefully consider how you would answer them. You may be directed to replace a seated juror who may have been excused. It's important to always keep in mind that the court and the parties in this case have a right to select what they believe to be an impartial jury. [Speaker D] 12:04 The judge questions the jurors during the voir dire to see if there's any reason why a particular juror may not be impartial. During the actual trial, the judge conducts the proceedings, ruling on questions of evidence and instructing the jury on the law. [Speaker E] 12:19 Ms. Laura Gallagher, who, seated at the table nearest you, has sued the defendant, Mr. Benjamin Edwards, claiming injuries arising from an accident on September 10 of last year at the corner of Oak and Main streets in Mapleton. Both the plaintiff, Ms. Laura Gallagher, and the defendant, Mr. Edwards, are being Represented by attorneys who will introduce themselves to you in a moment. The purpose of what we're doing now is to choose a jury. So let's begin. [Speaker D] 12:48 This voir dire is for a civil trial. The judge is explaining the case to the prospect. Jurors may be given a printed list of the questions that will be asked during jury selection in this trial. The jurors will also be informed of the names of parties, attorneys, and witnesses who are involved in the trial. If it were a criminal case, the judge would explain the charges against the defendant. [Speaker E] 13:13 Do any of you know the defendant in this case? If so, please raise your hand. The record will show no affirmative response. [Speaker D] 13:22 The voir dire relies on one very important factor, that each juror will give honest and complete answers. [Speaker E] 13:31 The persons whose names are shown on the witness list will be called to testify in this trial. Witnesses are Jody Thompson, Kareem Assad, Officer John Carter, Dr. Victoria Ryan, and Michelle Soudikoff. Do you think you know any of these people, Ms. Rivera? [Speaker D] 13:51 I work at Mercy Hospital, and Dr. Ryan is on staff there. [Speaker E] 13:55 Do you work with her? [Speaker D] 13:56 We haven't actually worked together, but I've certainly heard a lot about her. Your Honor, I moved to have Ms. Rivera excused for cause due to her previous relationship with Dr. Ryan. The defense attorney is asking the judge to dismiss this particular juror because she knows one of the witnesses in this case. When it appears a juror may not be completely impartial. Either side's attorney can move for dismissal. This is called dismissal for cause. [Speaker E] 14:23 Ms. Rivera, you may be excused. Please call another juror. [Speaker D] 14:27 Andrew Willis, please take seat number three. The attorneys are also allowed to have a juror dismissed without giving a reason. This is called a peremptory challenge. Both sides are allowed only a limited number of peremptory challenges. If your excuse for cause or on a peremptory, don't be offended. This is just the system working the way it was intended to. Please rise. Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that you will try the matter in dispute? The number of jurors needed depends on whether it's a civil or criminal case, so don't be surprised to see empty seats in the jury box. In either case, the court often seats more jurors than needed so that there will be a sufficient number of jurors. In the event that a juror is unable to finish the trial, it may be necessary for the trial judge to randomly designate alternate jurors prior to deliberations and give a true verdict according to the evidence. [Speaker C] 15:30 We do. [Speaker D] 15:31 Please, please be Seated with the jury selected, the trial is ready to begin. In both civil and criminal trials, you will hear testimony from the people who have knowledge of the facts in the case, the witnesses. But first, you'll hear from both sides. Attorneys. [Speaker F] 15:49 Thank you, you, Honor. This case is about an accident caused by the defendant. An accident that was no fault of the plaintiff. [Speaker D] 15:59 This is called the opening statement. The side bringing the suit or making the charges goes first. The defendant's attorney then gets an opportunity to outline their case. As is always the situation, there are two sides to every story. This case is no exception. From the evidence, the defense. It's important to keep in mind that the opening statement is not evidence in itself. Rather, it is simply an overview of the case that the attorneys will be presenting. Some items of evidence are physical exhibits. These are introduced and explained by the party who is offering them. Then they are labeled by the clerk. You'll probably be invited to examine them during the trial. But most of the evidence will be in the form of testimony from witnesses. Both sides are allowed to call witnesses and to question the opposition. [Speaker F] 16:53 Ms. Thompson, do you own a cafe at the corner of Oak and Main Streets? [Speaker A] 16:57 Yes, sir. [Speaker F] 16:59 Have you had the opportunity to observe the traffic pattern at that intersection at or around 1:30 in the afternoon on a weekday? [Speaker A] 17:06 Yes, sir, all the time. [Speaker D] 17:08 That's the time I'm usually coming back. [Speaker A] 17:09 From my walk after lunch. [Speaker F] 17:12 It's a messy intersection, isn't it? With people constantly trying to beat the light. [Speaker D] 17:19 Objection, you, Honor. [Speaker E] 17:20 Leading the witness, please approach the bench. [Speaker D] 17:25 Now, that's something you may see a lot of. The attorney on one side may ask or state something that the other attorney thinks is unfair. So you'll hear objection. And the judge may often call the attorneys up to explain themselves in private rather than letting a disagreement affect the jury. Depending on what the judge decides, you might hear the rest of that testimony because the objection was overruled. Or you might hear something like this. [Speaker E] 17:53 Objection sustained. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please disregard the characterization of the intersection in the previous question. Counselor, you may continue. [Speaker F] 18:02 Yes, you, Honor. Ms. Thompson, in your own words, could you describe the amount of traffic at that time of day? [Speaker D] 18:11 Not only should you listen carefully to what each witness is saying, you should watch carefully as well. Please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? I will take the stand, please. Mannerisms and expressions might tell you how confident the witness is about what he or she is saying. [Speaker F] 18:35 Dr. Ryan, I direct your attention to what has been Marked for identification as plaintiff's Exhibit 5. Do you recognize it? [Speaker A] 18:43 Yes. [Speaker D] 18:44 That's a larger version of a drawing I did for the police right after the accident. [Speaker F] 18:48 And does plaintiff's exhibit 5 accurately depict the location of the two cars in the intersection at the time you observed them? [Speaker A] 18:57 Yes. The blue rectangle shows where the blue car was, and the red rectangle shows. [Speaker D] 19:01 The location of the red carpet. [Speaker F] 19:03 Your Honor, plaintiff moves exhibit five into evidence. [Speaker E] 19:07 Any objection? [Speaker D] 19:09 No objection, your Honor. [Speaker E] 19:10 Exhibit five into evidence. [Speaker F] 19:13 Nothing further of this witness, you, Honor. [Speaker D] 19:15 We've all watched TV courtroom dramas. The real thing isn't always so sensational, but it's always important. And not only do you need to pay close attention to what goes on inside the courtroom, you need to be careful about what happens when you're outside the courtroom as well. [Speaker E] 19:32 We will recess for lunch and resume in one hour. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, as you can understand, this matter is important to all parties, and each is entitled to your fair and full consideration. Please refrain from discussing the case with anyone, even fellow jurors. There will be ample time to talk over the issues at the appropriate time, I assure you. I'll see you after lunch. [Speaker D] 19:56 When the court recesses. Whether for lunch or until the next day, the judge will remind you not to discuss the case with anyone else. This includes family, friends, even fellow jurors. You should particularly avoid talking with or even overhearing anyone involved in the case while in the courthouse. Wear your juror badge. This will warn people not to discuss the case near you. If you believe someone has purposely tried to talk to you about the case, you must bring it to the court's attention immediately. Despite what you may have seen in the movies, it is not the juror's role to investigate the case. That means you should not visit the scene of the crime or an accident, not attempt to talk to witnesses on your own, or pay attention to media accounts regarding the trial. All rise. [Speaker E] 20:49 Be seated. You may call your next witness. [Speaker D] 20:54 Thank you. Your Honor, I'd like to call Kareem Assad to the stand. The attorneys in the case will present their entire case to you only. What you hear and see in the courtroom is what you should use in your deliberations. After all the evidence has been presented, the attorneys give their closing statements. And I'm sure you'll find that my client did not cause this accident and that the plaintiff's claims have no merit. Thank you. Like the opening statements, the closing statements are not themselves evidence. They are each attorney's summation of the case as he or she has presented it. [Speaker F] 21:35 What we have seen and heard demonstrates quite clearly that this accident occurred because of and could have been prevented by the defendant. His actions and inactions have caused damage to my client's property and her person, as the evidence has shown. Thank you. [Speaker E] 21:54 Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. You have now heard all the evidence in the case, and it's my job to give you the law that you must apply to the facts as you find them. Remember, you are the judges of of the facts, but I am the judge of the law. Even if you disagree with some of the legal principles which I'm going to tell you, you must apply the law as I give it to you, to the facts as you will find them. [Speaker D] 22:19 After closing arguments, the judge will give you careful and detailed instructions about how the law applies to the case you are considering and precisely what you will have to decide. You will then be escorted to the deliberation room to discuss your case in full confidentiality. Any alternate jurors will not participate in the deliberations. Once the required number of jurors agrees on a verdict, you will be escorted back to the courtroom to announce your decision. [Speaker E] 22:49 Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict? Yes, you, Honor, we have. We find in favor of. [Speaker D] 22:56 It's going on just like this in court courtrooms all around the country, as it has for more than 200 years. Being called for jury duty may be inconvenient at times. The legal process may seem a bit slow, but our system of justice is the finest and fairest in the world because of you. The juror. Hello, I'm Christine mrsdeck, jury manager for Warren County. I want to extend a warm welcome as you begin on this important journey of serving as a juror in our justice system. Thank you for your commitment to civic duty. Your role as jurors is not only a vital component of our democracy, but also a testament to your dedication to a fair and just society. We are immensely grateful for your service. Our dedicated staff and I are looking forward to meeting you if you are selected for a trial. If you have any questions or need assistance regarding the orientation or your service, please don't hesitate to contact us. Our contact information will be provided on the screen at the conclusion of this message. Once again, thank you for your service. [Speaker A] 24:08 Certifying orientation using the paper questionnaire. If you are confirming your service using the paper questionnaire, check the box on the bottom right corner that states you have completed orientation and return your questionnaire certifying orientation using my jury service portal. Return to the My Jury Service portal, click the Not Completed tile and certify to change the tile to completed. Once completed, you may exit My Jury Service. Your orientation is now complete. You will receive instructions about reporting for Jury Service closer to the date. You are summoned. Thank you for your service.