After my work day is over, I often return home for a short walk in the neighborhood. It’s not only relaxing but a good opportunity to catch up on the news of the day (or perhaps the latest college basketball scores). On a recent walk, I came across an article about a young mother’s nightmare experience with jury duty.
After being denied a jury excuse, the woman appeared in court with her 3-month-old baby and was subsequently threatened with loss of her child to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
Like any reader of this story, I was outraged. How could this happen? I felt horribly for the mother and her baby. Fortunately, the article went on to say she was excused after several hours in spite of the threats; however, the damage was clearly done. So, I continued walking, but I could not take my mind off the story.
I knew this mother and her family were not treated properly. And I felt that the state of Alabama should do everything possible to prevent a similar case from happening in the future.
My next actions were not at a concerned citizen, but as a member of the Alabama Supreme Court. I knew what had occurred was improper and incorrect under our state’s law. Prior to being elected to statewide office, I presided over hundreds of jury trials at the local level. I knew from experience this mother should have been excused from jury duty before ever arriving at the courthouse.
In addition, the threats of loss of her child by judicial officials defied every conceivable notion of justice that I hold.
In addition to bringing clarity to the local courts, I also viewed this situation as a way to build public confidence in Alabama’s judicial system. That same evening, the attorneys in my office began drafting an order designed to protect young families and other similarly situated caregivers who are called to jury service.
The following morning, I sent an email to my fellow justices requesting that they approve the proposed order by 3 PM. All nine justices of the Alabama Supreme Court had signed off on the order within the hour.
I am grateful that the mother in question, Kandace Brown, had the courage to come forward and share her story. Many public officials stepped up to resolve this unfortunate situation, but our work was easy by comparison.
Alabama’s Constitution gives our Supreme Court oversight over the entire judicial branch, and that is not a responsibility we take lightly. When an administrative matter like this arises, we should always work to protect Alabama families. In the process, we can restore more confidence in our courts.
Brad Mendheim serves as an Associate Justice on the Alabama Supreme Court.
