Did you get a Handbook with your summons? Look for the Exemptions and Excuses. Here in Virginia one of the exemptions is:

>> any person who is the only person performing
>> essential services for business, commercial or
>> agricultural enterprise without which the
>> enterprise would close or cease to function

Sounds like this would apply to you.

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From the Handbook for Virginia Grand Jurors
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9. Exemptions and Excuses

Any person who has legal custody of a child 16 years of age or younger or of a person having a mental or physical impairment requiring continuous care during normal court hours, any mother who is breast-feeding a child, any person over 70 years of age, any person whose spouse is summoned to serve on the same jury panel, any person who is the only person performing essential services for business, commercial or agricultural enterprise without which the enterprise would close or cease to function, a mariner actually employed in maritime service, and several categories of legislative branch employees during specified times must be excused from jury service upon request.

If you are exempt from jury service for either of the foregoing reasons or, if you have some other good reason to be excused from Grand Jury service, you should contact the judge of the Circuit Court to which you have been summoned immediately and in person (or if the judge is not available, contact the Clerk of that Court). DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DAY ON WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED, because if you are excused, this may cause serious inconvenience to the court and a delay in the administration of justice while another Grand Juror is procured.

Your service as a Grand Juror ordinarily will require only part of one day. In view of the high privilege of service as a Grand Juror and of the importance of the public service rendered, you should not ask to be excused unless it is absolutely necessary.

Hi Steve.

And Thank You for the good info, but NY must be different than Virginia.

Grand Jury Jury Duty is more typically months, not days. (If it were only a day or 2, I wouldn't be wiggin' out.)
I know this from many family members and friends serving.

And, In NY, the single mom thing doesn't fly.
Neither does the breast feeding. It is at their discretion, if THEY think you've been breast feeding long enough or not. I was in that situation before with my son, when he was only 4 months old. They thought another 2 months of breast feeding would be plenty, and would put me back in the system then.

I have even filled out their formal survey, both on paper AND the internet.
They sent it around to "Save us all from the needless time and effort of calling ineligable jurors".
I explained in detail, the sole owner/operator of my own small nursery business and the single Mom thing.
Apparently no one reads these questionares or they simply don't care.
Maybe they just like to collect them for some good reading so they can all sit around the table in the break-room and have a good chuckle over morning coffee?

Sorry, I know I sound hysterical, but I feel like I've just had the rug pulled out from under me.

I live in NY too. In 2007 I got the Grand Jury summons and I told them just about what you wrote above. I was NOT going to serve on a jury at that time. I told the lady I would be glad to serve all winter, but not now. I did this over the phone. You can get one exemption like that. Should be no problem.

When winter came I did indeed receive another summons to appear for Grand Jury duty on Jan.7, 2008 but I was in the hospital. So now I'm on a two year medical exemption.

Get on the phone Monday morning and tell them just what you told us. Ask to be put on the winter list.

Many years ago I served on a grand jury. For three months. And it can be two to three days a week. I liked it.

Let us know how you made out.

I got my summons for December 1 right at the start of Christmas greens season. I got an extension for January 5Th. all worked out well. Ask and ye shall receive... Bob.

Here's the way to handle this:

At some point in the voire dire (the questioning of jurors) the judge or one of the attorneys will ask is there anything that would keep you from concentrating on this case. RAISE YOUR HAND!!! Tell them exactly what you said in your post and that the distraction of going bankrupt would not allow you to fairly deliberate in this case. They will let you out of jury duty at this point.

Thank You all, for the wise words of advise.

I think I've stopped hyperventilating, now.

I plan to call first thing tomorrow to do what you've suggested, the postponement until winter. (LoL. At least it's an income in January, meager as it may be! What else is the Crazy Plant Lady gonna do with her time in January, Right?)

Anyway, As always, You guys are the best, and I feel much calmer, and I hope you all hade a wonderful Easter with family!

Dawn

I get a survey for possible juror selection. I have been getting them for a few years now. Unfortunately, I have Minnear's disease, and that causes my hearing to flunctate between a pin drop to almost nothing, without notice. Uncorrectable. So each year I fill out the survey and put in that I have an uncorrectable hearing problem. I don't get called.

I am lucky that in my business, most of my regular customers know that IF I don't response when they talk to me, they touch my arm/shoulder and when I look at them I can read their lips enough to get by.

Hi Hanselmanfarms.

I got the same survey. Filled it out, and STILL got called for Grand Jury Duty.
In NY, physical challenges do not usually disqualify you. They make special accomodations for you.

At any rate,.....

I DID get postponed until January due to "Hardship", (ie. losing my livlihood),....
which I had no idea you could do, until reading these replies to my post.

I am SO greatful for the people here giving such great advice, as it turns out "GRAND" Jury Duty is a mandatory 3 MONTH stint in NY! Ouch!

Can't wait to start my Market Circuit!
2 more weeks and Saratoga starts it off!
Woo Hoo!

I would like to find out what kind of accomodation they could make for me. A hearing specialist told me that there was NO hear aid available to compensate for my "loss" since it was not consistent. Sometimes I can't hear my grandkids talking to me, all have learned that "nana" can't always hear, so we have made up some signs. Nothing official or translated by "outsiders". My kids doesn't understand the signs either, just the grandkids and me. Our special language.

Grand Jury is perfect. Wow wish I could get grand jury. Go runaway. Learn about your rights on a grand jury. throw out the prosecutor and take over.

here go to some of these sites to learn the truth about grand jury.

http://americangrandjury.org/

http://decalogosintl.org/

http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/the-federal-grand-jury-is-the-4th-branch-of-government/

http://riseupforamerica.com/

This should get you started. You are so lucky to get on a grand jury. You can take one of the American grand jury indictments over to the ny state GJ and indict. That is perfect. DO IT.

There is a simple way out. You claim that you believe everyone is innocent. You can not find anyone guilty on religious grounds. Jesus said to not judge. Guaranteed you will get out on this. No way do they want anyone who will always vote innocent.

They might take you if you always vote guilty. They like guilty. They hate innocent.

Both attys have the right to throw you out. I've been thrown out for being the victim of a felony and for having a healthy appreciation for people in uniform (IE I'd trust a cop before I'd trust someone else).