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AB-1277 • 2026

Jury duty.

Jury duty.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Essayli
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details on how public access to the report will be ensured beyond making it available online.

Making Jury Reports Public

AB-1277 requires the Judicial Council to share a report about jury diversity and participation with the public.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Judicial Council to sponsor a pilot program for two fiscal years to study whether increases in juror compensation and mileage reimbursement rates increase juror diversity and participation.
  • Asks the Judicial Council to write a report on what they find in this pilot program.
  • Tells the Judicial Council to share this report with the public on its website.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Judicial Council, which runs the courts.
  • People who serve as jurors and want to know about their compensation and diversity.

Terms To Know

Judicial Council
A group that helps run California's court system.
Pilot program
An experiment or trial to test something new before it is widely used.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the report will be shared with the public.
  • It's unclear if this change will actually make jury information more accessible to everyone.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. 2026-01-31 California Legislative Information

    Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

  3. 2025-03-19 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  4. 2025-03-10 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on JUD.

  5. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    Read first time.

  6. 2025-02-22 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.

  7. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1277, as introduced, Essayli.
Jury duty.
Existing law requires the Judicial Council to sponsor a pilot program for 2 fiscal years to study whether increases in juror compensation and mileage reimbursement rates increase juror diversity and participation. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to provide a report to the Legislature describing the findings of the pilot program and providing information for promoting juror diversity.
This bill would require the Judicial Council to also make the report available to the public on its internet website.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF