§3049.1. Twenty-Fourth Judicial District; jury compensation; duty to attend; cash deposit; bond procedure; filing fees

A. Every person selected and summoned to serve in the central jury pool of the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District as a prospective juror or talesman shall attend punctually and for the time for which he is summoned. After proof of actual notice, willful failure to attend shall constitute contempt of court and shall be punishable by a fine of one hundred dollars for each violation.

B.(1) All persons attending pursuant to summons for jury service in both criminal and civil cases may demand and receive compensation and an allowance for mileage necessarily traveled going to and from the courthouse.

(2) The compensation shall be twenty-five dollars for each day of attendance in court, and the mileage allowance shall be not less than sixteen cents per mile nor more than the rate in effect for state officials.

(3) Only one charge shall be made for mileage each way.

C.(1) The compensation of all persons attending pursuant to summons for jury service as well as selected jurors in criminal matters shall be paid from the criminal court fund as provided in Subsection D of this Section.

(2) Except as provided by special law, the compensation for all petit jurors selected in civil cases who attend and complete their jury service shall be paid from the jury costs collected in the civil case in accordance with Subsection E of this Section.

(3) Alternate jurors in both criminal and civil cases are entitled to the same mileage and compensation for each day's attendance at trial as those selected as a juror and shall be paid in accordance with Paragraph (C)(1) or (2) of this Section.

(4) Grand jurors in criminal cases are entitled to the same mileage and compensation for each day's attendance at sessions of the grand jury as that allowed petit jurors. The clerk of the district court, upon demand by each such juror at the close of his term of service, shall issue to him a certificate of attendance, countersigned by the district judge, for the amount to which he is entitled. The judge may direct the payment of the accrued mileage and per diem of grand jurors at any time during the term of service as grand jurors.

D.(1) Juror compensation paid in accordance with Paragraphs (C)(1) and (4) of this Section shall be paid from costs of court, fines and forfeitures, or other funds collected from every criminal defendant who is convicted after trial or who pleads guilty or nolo contendere, or who forfeits bond in the district court, parish court, or juvenile court, which shall be assessed and collected in such cases and deposited in the criminal court fund. The judges, sitting en banc, shall adopt a schedule of costs that shall be applicable in each criminal case before each division of the court to which such costs are applicable. All of such costs shall be placed, as they are collected, in a special fund that shall be maintained and be administered by the governing authority of the parish, and the governing authority shall pay out of the fund the compensation for jurors in criminal matters.

(2) The judge or judges shall, as the needs of the special fund require, adjust the schedule of costs to ensure that the proceeds are adequate to fully pay the juror compensation.

E.(1) When a civil party litigant prays for a jury trial, a jury filing fee in the sum of one hundred fifty dollars shall be paid at the time of the request. The jury filing fees shall be retained and assessed as costs of court for the operation of the jury commission.

(2) When the case has been set for trial, the court shall fix the amount of the bond to cover all costs related to the jury trial and shall fix the time for filing the bond, which shall be no later than sixty days prior to trial. Notice of the fixing of the bond shall be served on all parties. If the bond is not timely filed, any other party shall have an additional ten days to file the bond. When the bond has been filed, the clerk of court shall order the jury commission to draw the sufficient number of jurors to try and determine the case, such drawing to be made in accordance with R.S. 13:3044.

(3) When the case has been set for trial, the court may order, in lieu of the bond, a deposit for costs, which shall be a specific cash amount, and the court shall fix the time for making the deposit, which shall be no later than sixty days prior to trial. The deposit shall include sufficient funds for payment of all costs associated with a jury trial, including juror fees and expenses and charges of the jury commission, clerk of court, and sheriff. The required deposit shall not exceed two thousand dollars for the first day and four hundred dollars per day for each additional day the court estimates the trial will last. Notice of the fixing of the deposit shall be served on all parties. If the deposit is not timely made, any other party shall have an additional ten days to make the required deposit. Failure to post the cash deposit shall constitute a waiver of a trial by jury. However, no cash deposit shall be required of an applicant for a jury trial if waived or an order is rendered, pursuant to Chapter 5 of Title I of Book IX of the Code of Civil Procedure, permitting the applicant to litigate or continue to litigate without payment of costs in advance or furnishing security.

(4) The clerk of court may disburse funds from the cash deposit for payment of all or a part of the jury costs as such costs accrue. The clerk shall keep a record of funds disbursed by him from the cash deposit.

(5) The court may require an additional amount to be filed during the trial if the original amount of the cash deposit is insufficient to pay jury costs. No trial shall commence or resume until the additional amount is deposited with the clerk of court.

(6) The funds disbursed from the cash deposit for payment of jury costs shall be assessed as costs of court.

(7) After payment of all jury costs, any unexpended amounts remaining in the cash deposit shall be refunded by the clerk of court to the party filing the cash deposit.

(8) Juror compensation shall be paid by the clerk of court out of the funds on deposit upon completion of this service as a juror. If the jury costs exceed the amount on deposit, or if the judge has waived the deposit, or if a bond was posted, the clerk of court shall have the right to seek recovery of such amount immediately from the party or parties cast in judgment, or from the surety on any bond furnished for jury costs, regardless of whether the judgment may be suspensively appealed or that the bond may have been furnished by a party not cast in judgment.

Acts 2007, No. 5, §1, eff. June 8, 2007.