Jury service is the most personal form of participation most citizens will ever have in their government. I believe that the jury is the cornerstone of American democracy. The critical decisions of whether or not there is sufficient evidence to warrant taking a person’s liberty or property are not made by politicians or those with economic or political power but by the everyday citizens we call on to serve as jurors. The judge must always value the jurors’ time and commitment, insure that lawyers respect the jurors and the work they are doing and protect jurors from outside influences. I speak with jurors at the close of each case to thank them for their service, answer any questions they have about the justice system and to give them the opportunity to have input on ways to improve the system. I also mail a survey to each juror that they can return anonymously to me with their views of the legal system, court staff and lawyers. I use the survey results to guide my own staff, to enlighten the lawyers and as a check on my own actions.

Some of the survey response jurors have made about Judge Pihlaja are:

• I/we felt a lot of confidence in the judge. He made us less apprehensive and helped us do our job
• Patient and professional
• The judge did a great job of explaining the duties of the jury
• I liked Judge Pihlaja’s style. Spoke to us very respectfully, not condescendingly-I felt like I was being prepared for a very important job
• I really appreciated the calm demeanor of the judge
• The judge was very positive and upbeat. This made the whole experience pleasant
• Judge Pihlaja, you do an excellent job
• Very informative and helpful
• The judge did a great job and is a tremendous asset for the process
• Judge Pihlaja, I want to thank you for making my time spent in jury duty a positive one. You have a great attitude.
• Keep doing what you are doing-you are doing a great job
• Judge Pihlaja did an excellent job
• I was so positively impressed by the judge that I sent an email to faculty and adminstrators at work that if they needed a speaker that I had the card of an exceptional judge
• Keep up the great job
• Job well done
• Keep up what you are doing. Thanks for the experience
• He made me feel very good about the verdict we reached and the job we had done.
• Judge Pihlaja was a breathe of fresh air! Attitude positive. Seemed genuinely interested in his work
• I appreciated Judge Pihlaja's approachability and honesty
• Judge Pihlaja’s professionalism and friendliness was appreciated
• Thank you for making being a juror as comfortable a process as possible
• Did an excellent job explaining each phase of the trial and sequence of events
• Spoke directly and concisely
• Courtroom procedures were handled efficiently
• The judge was friendly, fair and did a great job making the jurors feel at ease
• This judge is way cool!
• Helped jurors feel comfortable with the whole experience
• The judge acted professionally yet seemed sensitive to the needs of the jury
• Your demeanor and respect for the process allowed us to see our duty more clearly and gave all of us more insight than we thought possible.
• Thanks to you, I look forward to serving again
• I thought he was a class act
• He was great. I’ll be voting for him for sure.
• Judge Pihlaja was very concerned that everyone in the courtroom was treated in a very fair & courteous manner
• Was respectful and completely professional
• He made me feel valued, like an important part of the system
• Very impartial
• Judge Pihlaja, you made all the jurors feel at ease and made the whole process very memorable
• It was a pleasure to see the Judge work. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
• The judge did a fantastic job
• The judge was very fair and polite to everyone
• It was a pleasure to be on his jury. He made me feel a lot more comfortable than I expected
• THE BEST!! Thanks for being such a great judge
• He is an amazing judge/person
• He was great and made me feel very comfortable with being a juror
• Thank you for thinking of our needs and comforts
• Thank you for being so respectful to the jury
• The judge was extremely friendly, polite and courteous of everyone in the courtroom I was very pleased to have served on a jury with Judge Pihlaja.

Jurors consistently rated Judge Pihlaja as excellent in all categories and unanimously found that he did not favor one side or the other.

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Paid for by the Committee to Retain Judge Pihlaja
1230 Landmark Towers, 345 St Peter Street, St Paul, MN 55102
Martin Costello, treasurer