Queens Jury Appreciation Day

Photo Dan Miller/DMD Images Second Deputy County Clerk of the Queens Court System Alexis Cuffee raffles gift items provided by Queens Center Mall, the Queens Museum of Art, the Museum of the Moving Image and the New York Mets to some 400 potential jurors gathered in the Central Jury Room of Queens Criminal Court, 120-55 Queens Blvd., on Community Jury Appreciation Day, November 17. Queens joined other counties across New York state to celebrate Community Juror Appreciation Day on Monday, November 17. "Today in the Central Jury Room we had refreshments put out for the jurors. We also raffled some gifts that were supplied by generous donations from the Queens Center Mall, the Queens Museum of Art, the Museum of the Moving Image and the New York Mets," Second Deputy County Clerk of the Queens Court System Alexis Cuffee, who serves as Deputy to Queens County Clerk, Gloria D'Amico, said. Raffles for the items were also held for jurors in Queens' other courthouses in Jamaica and Long Island City

Cuffee said that the jurors were, "enthusiastic, happy, clapping and very much feeling good about the day". She added, "We asked them to carry that feeling because they are the ones who are important to the system. Each potential juror is also a potential person on either side of the law. You can wrongly or rightly be accused of a crime. You can also be the victim. So it's important that we have everyone participate in Queens which is one of the most diverse counties in the United States."

As prospective jurors entered the Queens Criminal Court Central Jury Room at 82nd Avenue and Queens Boulevard, they were greeted by former Supreme Court Justice, Thomas A. Demakos. Demakos has served Queens County as an Assistant District Attorney, as a criminal judge and as a Justice of the Supreme Court. He has sat on the bench for more than 30 years and currently serves as a judicial hearing officer in the Queens Court system.

Addressing almost 400 United States citizens who reside in Queens who had received jury duty notices in the mail and were awaiting their turn to be considered to serve as jurors in a criminal trial, Demakos discussed the process of the jury system and explained the procedures that each criminal trial follows. "The judge will tell you to listen to the sworn testimony from the witness stand. Based on that testimony, you come to a determination of the facts of the case," he explained, adding that the judge's role is to tell jurors what the law is and what the elements of that crime are. "You then take the law as the judge gives it to you and you apply it to the facts that you find them to be. If you find that the prosecutor has proven the accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, you may vote to convict. If you have found that the prosecutor has failed to prove the accused as guilty, then you must acquit."

Demakos stressed the importance of performing jury service. Trial by jury in a criminal case in accordance with the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution is one of the most important elements of the entire criminal justice system. It can be traced back to colonial days in America and even before that to the Magna Carta in England, he said. Pointing out that trial by jury was embodied into the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution to those in the jury pool, Demakos said, "[The Sixth Amendment] is an important amendment, not only for individuals accused of a crime but also for individuals who are about to perform jury service." After reading the Sixth Amendment to the potential jurors, he added: "The Sixth Amendment provides in all criminal prosecutions:

"The accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.

"And to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation.

"And to be confronted with the witnesses against him or her and to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his or her favor.

"And, of course, to have the assistance of counsel for their defense."

Demakos then explained what procedures are followed and what the jurors can expect when they are called for a jury panel. Judging by the nods of recognition from members of the jury pool, he was on target and got his message across to the potential jurors. "Without juries in a criminal case the system will fail. That is why jury service in a criminal case is so very important," Demakos concluded.