Production Under Way for New Jury Video

Production work has begun on a new jury orientation video intended for use by federal trial courts in the Ninth Circuit.  The new video will feature remarks by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and is being directed by an award-winning Bay Area film maker, Abby Ginzberg.

The project was undertaken by the Ninth Circuit Jury Trial Improvement Committee, working through the Office of the Circuit Executive and using funding provided by the circuit and several district courts.  It had been under consideration for more than a year before preliminary work began in March 2011.  A contract with Ginzberg was executed in September 2011.  The final product is expected this summer.

The current jury orientation video was made by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.  It does not address a number of issues, especially those raised by the potential use of smart phones and other electronic devices by jurors. 

\"There was general agreement that the video needs updating, particularly with regard to all the new technology that has come into use in recent years,\" said U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips, who chairs the committee.

\"We are pleased to have obtained the services of an accomplished director who is very familiar with the legal system.  And having Justice O'Connor, who is so well known to the public and the voice of the judiciary to many people, be a part of the video is a great honor.\"

Justice O'Connor was videotaped in April 2011 in the federal courthouse that bears her name in Phoenix.  Footage from the video shoot will be used in various segments of the video.

Ginzberg's production company has begun shooting additional footage at the Philip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in San Francisco.  U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California and Ninth Circuit Judge Richard Paez are participating in the effort and will appear in the video.

The 15- to 18-minute orientation video is intended to impress on prospective jurors the importance of serving on a jury and explain the juror selection process from the beginning through voir dire.  It also will include testimonials from citizens who previously served as jurors describing their experiences during the trial and after a verdict is delivered.

Ginzberg has been producing videos and films about the legal system and judges for more than 25 years.  She worked for 10 years as an attorney and law instructor before switching to producing educational films.  Her documentaries have been shown on public television and in law schools around the country.  She also has produced programs for the Judicial Council of California, the American Bar Association and local bar associations in Northern California.

Among Ginzberg's better known works is \"Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson's American Journey,\" which profiles the senior district judge from the Northern District of California.  The film was subsequently purchased by  the Ninth Circuit Historical Society and distributed to public libraries in Northern California.  Her most recent film is \"Cruz Reynoso: Sowing the Seeds of Justice,\" a profile of the first Latino to serve as a justice of the California Supreme Court.  Both films have won a number of awards.

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   District Judge Susan Illston, above, producer Abby Ginzberg, below.