March 16, 2015

The Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana State Bar Association recently honored Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court Jon Gegenheimer for his receiving the National Center for State Courts’ G. Thomas Munsterman Award for Jury Innovation.

“In honoring Jon Gegenheimer with its prestigious G. Thomas Munsterman Award for Jury Innovation, the National Center for State Courts has turned the nation’s eyes to Louisiana and the 24th Judicial District Court,” Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson said.

L-R: La. State Bar Assn. President Joseph L. "Larry" Shea, Jr.; La. Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson; and Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court Jon A. Gegenheimer

“The award recognizes those who have made significant improvements or innovations in jury administration, and is named for G. Thomas Munsterman, the founder of the Center for Jury Studies and an internationally known innovator in jury systems.

Gegenheimer earned the award for 1) making jury service more convenient for prospective jurors and their employers; 2) substantially reducing juror costs; 3) securing legislation to provide for the one day/one trial service system; 4) modernizing, through technology, the juror selection and summoning process; 5) reducing the number of days jurors are summoned from 5 to 4 by eliminating Friday jury pools; and 6) decreasing the size of jury pools through effective use of computer technology and data analysis.

The Munsterman Award follows Gegenheimer’s recognition by the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks with the 2014 Public Official of the Year Award for high achievement in the fields of court administration, elections administration and records management.

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