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Earlier this week, a group of potential jurors gathered in a Regina Court of Queen’s Bench courtroom.

Had they been there when the actual jury had been selected, they could have avoided the scolding they received from Justice Brian Scherman.

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Scherman noted the jurors — 26 in total — hadn’t attended court as required when the jury was selected for a civil matter over which he is presiding. He told them he requested the sheriff contact them and have them attend court “because we’ve got a problem.”

“Basically, I’m here to read the riot act to you guys,” he said. “You did not perform your civic duty, and I can assure you that this is a developing problem that we’re having, people ignoring these demands.”

Court of Queen’s Bench Chief Justice Martel Popescul has been a judge for 11 years and, as a lawyer prior to that, has close to four decades of experience with jury trials. He said it isn’t unusual for a number of people to not show up for jury selection and, while there might not be evidence of a growing trend, it is a problem nonetheless.