Jury Duty

[hank2]

I've received jury duty summons about 10 to 12 times, lifetime. The last two times I sought medical excuses for legitimate reasons and was excused. I'm over 70 and they have left me alone for a several years. I was only selected for the jury one time, a major medical lawsuit we learned. Literally a minute before it began, the two parties reached a settlement. The judge gave us a log recap of what we barely missed. The descendants of someone long deceased had successfully gone after every employer that grandfather had been at on asbestosis claims. This was the last of quite a few, spanning years. He told us that we were likely the luckiest jurors that he had ever seen in his many years. An estimated 3-month period of court. The normal county courthouse building was closed down for extensive renovations and we were to be in the old courthouse without any air-conditioning for the entire summer and perhaps more. Ducked a bullet!

For many of my jury summons, I was a state employee. I had to sign my $9 a day jury duty paycheck over to the state government after I received it. Or forfeit my normal wage for the day(s).

The scariest thing for many was receiving a federal court jury summons. 80 miles away in center city Phila. A female coworker of mine in the later 80's went for federal jury duty. She was selected and wound up on a sequestered jury for two months or more. All sequestered together in one wing of a hotel at night. She told me that after one month all sorts of new couples were produced and likely some marriages destroyed.

 

[dishdude]

The most aggravating part was that each case, during voir dire, asked the same juror pool the same questions if they were close friends with the police. And the meatheads would answer, oh, yeah, I knew Johnny Law back in third grade, we always send Xmas cards, but it won't change my feelings towards the accused.

Ugh. I had one when I got called, said the neighbor's son was a cop. Judge asked the perspective juror (meathead) how often they socialize with the cop and they reply "oh I've never met him, he lives in Texas!"

 

[Skippy722]

I got called for federal Grand Jury once… basically deciding whether there was enough evidence to charge someone with a crime and send them to trial. Luckily I didn’t get picked, but they had people from 80+ miles away!

 

[Lubener]

If you give them the right answers during the interviewing, you are likely to be rejected for a trial.

 

[Skippy722]

If you give them the right answers during the interviewing, you are likely to be rejected for a trial.

“I am the sole income for a family of 4 while working 12 hours a day on nightshift” wasn’t good enough for me to get immediately dismissed, but “I have college classes” got 5 people dismissed

 

[vw7674]

I toss my JD notice in the trash.

did it twice, never selected for sitting jury.
Huge waste of time. I toss them, got one as covid was happening.
Laughed it off. Just about everything should be arbitrated these days,
barring that, juries should be random drawn, no drops, no questions. You take the 14 & present the case.
And good luck, you'll need it. Both sides. lol.

 

[billt460]

I toss my JD notice in the trash.

I do much the same. It's not for a, "lack of doing my duty". I know I would never get picked, especially today. So why bother wasting the time and gas?

 

[nomas]

My Dr. gives me a medical note to give to the judge. Yes, all excuses to get out of jury duty MUST go through the judge.
Before my accident I served twice when I lived in Tampa, FL.

When I served last , there was a young lady that was a " Jury Coordinator or some such . She handled everything including all of the whiners trying to skip out on serving .

 

[dlundblad]

I was called last year for a case that could have lasted 30 days or so. I called the lady up saying that it’d be a financial burden.

I haven’t been called since knock on wood.

 

[dlundblad]

I toss my JD notice in the trash.

Is that legal?

 

[nomas]

I toss my JD notice in the trash.

Do that around here and you'll have to explain that to the Judge . Some of them take that " Failure to appear " thing seriously .

 

[PWMDMD]

I go, I wait, and they send me home. I was once selected for a grand jury in Manhattan but it was every Tuesday and Thursday for 18 months and I was in college and just explained that and was dismissed.

 

[billt460]

Do that around here and you'll have to explain that to the Judge . Some of them take that " Failure to appear " thing seriously .

So tell them you never received it in the mail. If they were going to pursue it legally, they would have to deliver them by process server, or Certified Mail.

And most any lawyer will tell you not to accept Certified Mail, unless you are expecting it. If it was someone giving you money, they would show up in a van with balloons and champagne.

 

[skyactiv]

Did it once and wish it’d come around again. Had to show up at 10 am for 2 weeks. Left after 45 minutes except for one day where a case almost went to trial.

 

[Aredeeem]

I used to enjoy getting called. Haven’t been summoned in a while. Age cut off in New Jersey is 75. After that you can opt out if you choose.

 

[Cruzer4326]

I've served jury duty 3 times. The first I was picked to be on the jury of a drunk diving case. By the end of the trial I thought that the defense attorney should have gone to jail with the defendant. What stupidity is displayed in court!
BTW, I considered it an inconvenience but at the same time an honor to participate in part of the best Democracy the world has ever produced.

 

[LDB]

Is that legal?

It's shirking. It defines what sort of citizen one is. In some jurisdictions it's a guaranteed bench warrant. Apparently it should be that way everywhere.

 

[DuckRyder]

I’ve been twice, first time they just sent us home after a few hours with no explanation, second time was a traffic ticket gentleman acting as his own council, I am in a business where any actual lawyer would have dismissed me, also the federal agent he failed to dismiss. Any way, his defense was that the officer was a horses rear end, which based on the way he acted in court was true. If the dude (defendant) had given us the slightest actual defense we would have acquitted him (we all agreed on that) but he did not even say he didn’t do it. There were several things that didn’t make sense but he did not even attempt to tie them together as evidence of innocence… some of them did not come up in court up but we all knew the road…

 

[dlundblad]

It's shirking. It defines what sort of citizen one is. In some jurisdictions it's a guaranteed bench warrant. Apparently it should be that way everywhere.

It is hard to take some seriously though.. like someone gets a DWI and decides to fight it and take it court.

Waste of the tax payers time and money as well as mine. I see both sides.

Not saying they’re all like this.

 

[SC Maintenance]

You gotta move to a better state. Massachusetts pays you $50 a day after 3 days. That rate hasn't changed in years.

I did live in the Boston area for 6 months for a job 20 years ago. I must say that if I was forced to live in a blue state, it would be at the top of my list if it wasn't for your weather. Think I will stay in SC and absorb the jury duty cost.