Jury fees are the small amounts paid to each juror for their service during a trial. Jury fees often include money for the mileage traveled by the juror from their home to the courthouse.
Jury fees for jurors in criminal trials are paid by the government, but jury fees for jurors in civil trials are paid by the parties in the lawsuit.
Jury fees are a reflection of the courts’ realization that jury duty prevents jurors from working at paying jobs. Jury duty, therefore, has a great potential to hurt jurors’ opportunities to make personal income. Although jury fees are quite nominal, the payment of juror fees is an attempt to offset some of the lost income that jurors experience while serving on the jury.
The practice where the government pays jury fees in criminal trials developed because criminal prosecution is conducted in the name of the people. And, because the government represents the people, the government pays the jury fees.