For Immediate Release

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Jury Secrecy Proposal

Nov. 19, 1998 - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a proposal to keep personal information about jurors private. The State Bar of Wisconsin praised the decision, saying it would ensure an open court system in the state. The proposal would have kept personal information about jurors from lawyers even during jury selection. This would have made picking an unbiased jury more difficult, lawyers said.

Bar officials also said the claim that juror anonymity is needed to foster a greater willingness to perform jury service is unfounded. "Bar members didn't feel there was enough of a risk to the jurors to warrant the rule change. This would actually hinder a fair trial," said Jenny Boese, Government Relations Coordinator at the State Bar. Bar officials also said threats to former jurors are very rare, and there is no evidence to show that there is a problem. They said the current situation does not warrant throwing out existing statutes governing the availability of information to parties and the public regarding jurors who make decisions in a public forum.

Other opponents also said the proposed rule would have violated the state's Open Records Law.

The proposal came from the Records Management Committee (RMC), chaired by Taylor County Circuit Court Judge Gary Carlson. According to Carlson, the court system has a duty to protect jurors' right to privacy. He also said jurors often leave the court system worried about public disclosure of their private information. Four years ago, the committee began drafting a policy on distributing information through electronic and traditional means.

While the Supreme Court rejected the secrecy proposal, it did agree not to ignore the concerns about protecting the jurors' privacy. The court did not take any follow up action, but left the door open to future discussions.

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