Bloom
CHARLESTON -- A Kanawha Circuit judge has been summoned for jury duty and intends to serve.
Circuit Judge Louis "Duke" Bloom, said he received notice he was being summoned the first week of February and was told he will report March 8 and to be available until April 2, if needed.
Bloom said he thinks the opportunity will be fun and exciting to learn about the dynamics of a jury and will probably make him a better judge.
"I think this opportunity will make me appreciate the sacrifice jurors make day in and day out," he said.
Bloom will be required to call the hotline each evening to see if he is one of the jurors selected to report to the courthouse, just like the rest of the jury pool.
Bloom said it might be inconvenient and cause some of his work to be delayed while he serves, but it is no different than other businesses when their employees are called to serve.
Bloom was called to jury duty once before when he was a county commissioner, but it was a federal summons, which laws prohibited him from serving. Bloom said he can serve as a petit juror, but cannot serve on a grand jury.
Bloom said he hopes attorneys will have confidence in his ability to make a decision as a juror.
"I'm sure there will be some attorneys who will say that's the last thing we need, but I've seen attorneys get picked as jurors before," Bloom said.
