Manitoba Justice: Free Press

Jamie Krilyik Dept: Jurors selected to hear the Mark Stobbe murder trial had Manitoba Justice officials reaching for the Tylenol when the high-profile case got off to a rocky start last month. Fortunately, 14 jurors had been selected to hear the two-month trial -- instead of the usual 12 -- and the case was able to proceed as scheduled without dipping below the mandatory minimum of 10. The remaining jurors are expected to begin their deliberations in the high-profile case as early as next week, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Jamie Krilyik, Manitoba Justice's jury co-ordinator, told the Free Press that getting picked to sit on a jury is sort of like winning the legal lottery. Every year, justice officials are given 30,000 random Manitoba Health numbers of people who live in the city and are older than 18. Typically, only about half of those will be issued summons. And of those, only a couple of hundred are chosen jury duty and one had to be excused for fear she might go into labour. Another couldn't stop falling asleep in court. And a third simply decided he no longer wanted to show up. But the complications presented by this particular prosecution follow a pattern that proves regular folks are often less-than-willing to perform their so-called civic duty. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.