State Bar of Wisconsin

State Bar President Diane Diel joins court officials in launching jury appreciation month

Speaking on behalf of Wisconsin’s more than 23,000 attorneys, State Bar president Diane Diel helped launch the state’s first “Jury Appreciation Month” at events in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties earlier today.

“I welcome this opportunity to join with Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson and others in the justice system to thank jurors for the critical contributions they make to ensure that every Wisconsin citizen has the right to trial by jury,” Diel said. She noted that the right to trial by jury is a legacy of our Bill of Rights and one of the hallmarks of American justice.

Diel stressed in her remarks that “like other rights guaranteed by our constitution, the promise of a jury of peers comes with responsibilities as well.”

She explained that jury service takes citizens away from their jobs, their families and their routines, potentially for up to weeks at a time, to serve the goal of justice for all. “And like so many other civic responsibilities, the burden of jury duty falls unevenly – some of us will serve on juries several times during our lifetimes and others will never be called. Those who do serve are often asked to make difficult and complex decisions that directly impact the interests of both individual neighbors and their communities as a whole.”

“I am pleased that Justice Abrahamson invited all of us to join her and I encourage Bar members to visit wisbar.org/jury for additional information about Jury Appreciation Month,” Diel said.