Until being called, I, like the jury form proclaims, thought jury duty was “both a duty and a privilege” of citizenship. After learning what such duty entails, however, I realize that most citizens cannot serve regardless of their motivation.

More specifically, because I am not on salary, even if not fired from my hourly job for the weeks I serve, I will not receive a paycheck. While a $10 a day stipend is paid by the courts, it is not enough to pay my living expenses.

The right to a trial by one’s peers ensures fairness before the law by preventing those in power from using the courts to protect their own interests. If only salaried citizens can afford jury duty, however, juries become representative of a certain class, automatically turning their values and beliefs into the standard for justice.

We must find a way for all citizens to afford jury duty in order to ensure that the duties and also the privileges of citizenship do not differ by class.

Lisa Lightbody, Lewiston