(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today called for an increase in pay for people serving on federal juries, from $40 to $50 per day. This modest raise would be the first increase to federal juror pay in 28 years.

In a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services & General Government requesting the increase, the Representatives wrote:

“While juror compensation was never meant to serve as a substitute for a salary and obviously does not, raising the daily rate of juror compensation to $50 per day would provide some small relief for the sacrifices made by jurors.   Additionally, with this increase, jurors serving for extended periods on petit or grand juries would also be eligible to receive an additional $10 per day, bringing their rate of compensation to on par with the federal minimum wage daily pay rate of $58 per day.   This is but a small step in providing reasonable compensation to the people serving this indispensable role in our judicial system.”

The full letter, signed by 11 Members of Congress, is available here.