Cochran v. Lancaster County

142 N.W. 862, 94 Neb. 130, 1913 Neb. LEXIS 230
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 16, 1913
DocketNo. 17,341
StatusPublished

This text of 142 N.W. 862 (Cochran v. Lancaster County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cochran v. Lancaster County, 142 N.W. 862, 94 Neb. 130, 1913 Neb. LEXIS 230 (Neb. 1913).

Opinion

Hamer, J.

This case involves the fees of a juror subpoenaed to attend the district court for Lancaster county for the April, 1911, term of that court. He was subpoenaed to appear for the panel of jurors of said court to commence on the 24th day of April, 1911, and to serve on said panel until he should be discharged. He appeared on the 24th day of April, 1911, and served continuously from and including said day until May 18, 1911, except Sundays and on three Saturdays. He was not finally discharged as a juror until May 18, 1911. At the rate of $3 a day he is entitled to [131]*131$66 for his services as a-juror during the existence of said panel, including the said three Saturdays. After said panel of jurors was discharged, the clerk of the district court filed with the county commissioners the time of the jurors serving on said panel, including the time of plaintiff. On May 20, 1911, the plaintiff filed with the county clerk of Lancaster county his claim for $66 for services as such juror. The county commissioners of Lancaster county allowed the plaintiff the sum of $57, but disallowed his claim for $3 for services on Saturday, April 29, $3 for services on Saturday, May 6, and $3 for services on Saturday, May 13, making the total amount disallowed $9. The claim of the plaintiff is that the defendant county is indebted to him in the sum of $9 for his services as a juror and that the defendant county refuses to pay the same. It is alleged in the petition that the plaintiff is a traveling man, and that it was impossible for him to leave Lincoln and to render any services for the firm that he represented; that he could not and did not do any other work on the said Saturdays, except to hold himself in readiness for service as a juror under the direction of the court, and that during all of the time the plaintiff was at the courthouse and ready for service as a juror and under the direction of the court.

The answer of the defendant county admits the selection of the plaintiff as a juror, and that he was served with a subpoena to appear and serve and not to depart the court without leave, and that he did appear, and that he served from April 24 to April 28, inclusive, and that on the 28th day of April he was excused by the court from further service until Monday, May 1, at 9:30 o’clock in the morning, at which time the plaintiff again appeared and served continuously from May 1 to May 5, inclusive, when, by order of the court, he whs again excused until Monday, May 8, 1911, at 9:30 A. M.'; the plaintiff again appeared on Monday, May 8, at 9: 30 A. M. and served continuously as a juror until Friday, May 12, 1911, inclusive, when he was again, by order of the court, excused from further [132]*132service until Monday, May 15, at which time the plaintiff appeared and duly served as a juror continuously until Thursday, May 18, 1911, inclusive, when he was finally discharged; that the total number of days actually served was 19, and that the county commissioners allowed him pay for 19 days at $3 a day, being a total of $57. The answer also alleged that the plaintiff did not serve as a juror on Saturday, April 29, Saturday, May 6, and Saturday, May 13, and that he was excused by order of the court on each of said days; that this was done in accordance with the rules of practice adopted by the judges of said district court. The rule provides: “Saturday of each week during the term shall be the time for hearing motions; unless otherwise specially ordered no causes will he tried on Saturday.” There was an appeal from the action of the hoard of county commissioners of Lancaster county to the district court. The district court held against the plaintiff, and the case comes here on an appeal from the judgment of the district court.

It is contended with some earnestness that the juror should not draw pay on Saturday because, under the rule of the district court, it is not contemplated that any cases will be tried on that day. An examination of the statute seems to contemplate that during the term for which the juror is drawn, consisting of three weeks, he is expected to be in attendance on the court. Section 668a of the code provides that, in counties having a population of 30,000, or more, and less than 60,000, the county board of commissioners or supervisors shall at or before its meeting in January of each year, or at any time thereafter when necessary for the purposes of the act, make a list of a sufficient number, not less than one-tenth, of the legal voters of each township or precinct in the county, giving the place of residence of each person whose name appears on the list, said list to be known as the jury list. It is provided in section 668d of the code: “All jurors on the regular panels shall serve during the weeks or term for which they were drawn and until discharged from the case [133]*133in which they may be serving, if any, at the expiration of such time, unless sooner excused by the court.” It is provided in section 608/ that a list of jurors selected as provided in the act “shall be kept in the office of the county clerk, who shall write the name and residence of each person selected upon a separate ticket and put the whole into a box or wheel, to be kept for that purpose.” And it is provided in section 668*7: “At least twenty (20) days before the first day of any trial term of the district court, the district clerk of such court shall appear at the office of the county clerk, and in the presence of such county clerk, and at least one of the judges of the district court, after the box or wheel containing said names has been well shaken by the county clerk, and without partiality, draw thirty (30) names of persons then residents of said county, for each judge sitting with a jury in said court, as petit jurors for the first three weeks of that term ” It is further provided in that section that, at the same time and in the same manner, the clerk shall also draw the same number of names as petit jurors for the second three weeks of that term of jury service.

It will be seen that these jurors for a panel are called for three weeks. The act provides that they shall serve during the weeks or terms for which they were drawn and until discharged from the case in which they may be serving. Section 15, ch. 28, Comp. St. 1911, provides: “Gfrand and petit jurors shall each receive for his services three dollars for each day employed in the discharge of his duties, and mileage at the rate of five cents for each mile necessarily traveled.” Under the act specially applicable to this sort of a jury, the time would seem to be three weeks during which they are required to attend,} -unless discharged. This would seem to contemplate a final discharge at the end of the three weeks. Under the stipulation of counsel made in this case, it appears that the plaintiff is a traveling salesman; that he attended the court as set forth; and that during the three Saturdays mentioned he was unable to engage in the business of selling monu[134]*134ments for the house that he represented because there was no time sufficient to go to the territory where sales could be made in 1ns business and return to be on hand Monday morning at Lincoln for jury service.

The question here presented is whether the plaintiff can be taken from his usual occupation to serve the public as a juror and be compelled to thereby neglect his own private business during the Saturdays mentioned without pay. But the view we take of the statute disposes of the merits of the case.

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Related

Spalding v. Douglas County
122 N.W. 889 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1909)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
142 N.W. 862, 94 Neb. 130, 1913 Neb. LEXIS 230, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cochran-v-lancaster-county-neb-1913.