The scales of justice are weighted in favor of lunch.
Bronx jurors routinely delay handing up their verdicts — because the longer they deliberate, the more delicious free lunches they get from local eateries, prosecutors and court officers told The Post.
“Even if they have a verdict, they usually wait until the afternoon to announce it because they want to get the free lunch,” said one prosecutor in The Bronx, where the courts have spent $15,282 feeding jurors since April.
Bronx panelists are handed a stack of menus each day — usually from popular Italian joints — and are asked to mark their preferences.
Giovanni’s on 149th Street and the Grand Concourse is easily the favorite, court observers said.
“I come [to the court] almost every day,” said Giovanni’s deliveryman José Arias. “Salads, sandwiches — they eat everything you could think of!”
One panel took nine days to come back with a not-guilty verdict because they were enjoying the complimentary grub, several Bronx court officers said.
“I bet they’d come up with a verdict in one day if we got them food from McDonald’s or dirty hot dogs from the carts across the street,” one court officer said.
Folks serving jury duty in Queens aren’t as lucky.
They used to get $9 for breakfast and $13 for lunch — but budget cuts have restricted lunches to high-profile criminal cases only.
In Manhattan, the go-to spot is Broadway New Fancy Food, where total orders have ranged from $195 to $234, records show.
And in Brooklyn, jurors are allowed about $13. Most hit Monty Q’s Brick Oven Pizza for its $7.95 chicken-parm sandwich.
Additional reporting by Pedro Oliveira Jr.