Legislators Seek Reform of Jury Summons System

Texas’s creaky – and leaky – jury summons system is ill prepared to produce the number of jurors needed to address a backlog of trials caused by the pandemic, according to a state judiciary official.

“The need for well qualified and diverse jurors becomes more important now than ever,” said Megan LaVoie, administrative director of the Texas Office of Court Administration at a legislative hearing earlier this month. She expects the number of jury trials to be back to or exceed pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.