Jury Duty

15 years ago

I got a Jury duty summons today. It is the second time in two years. I was excused two years ago because of age and Ill ask to be excused again this time. If the court house wasn't so far away, I wouldn't mind doing it again. I've served twice on trials and it was so interesting. but it is about a 40 mile round trip, and I can't see driving that far at my age. One funny thing, my 94 year old neighbor also got a jury summons today. I think she will probably ask to be excuse too. LOL

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Comments (13)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX
15 years ago
I have a letter from my doctor, I just can not do it any more, they have been good about accepting the medical reason.
vannie
15 years ago
I turned in a medical excuse in Feb. and got a summons today. The doc told me if I got another summons at any time just call the office and they'd get me another letter out. Now, you'd think since it's been less than a month since I turned the letter in that I wouldn't be getting another summons. The doc made it clear it was a chronic condition--they don't get away. It's gonna be easy to handle, but just a PITA. I wouldn't mind serving if it was handled better and didn't take so long. They repeat the instructions over and over and over. Geez.
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We Americans have a tendency toward the use of words of overemotional hyperbole these days. I see jury service in a different way. Whether you agree or disagree with yesterday's or today's political leaders and system, decisions have been made on what the laws are and how they are enforced. "We" The People have hired employees to carry out those rules and procedures, and they are doing the jobs we've asked them to do. When I'm paying someone to work for me, I do everything I can (and certainly anything I'm asked) to assist and facilitate their efforts. No less so with a public employee than with a private one. If a fresh line has been painted on the road, I avoid driving over it. If a public safety worker tell me to pull off the road, or leave an area, or to do whatever, I do what I'm told. If the court system asks for help to carry out trials, then similarly people should do what they can to cooperate and help out. There's no need to fly a flag or suggest it's the defense of freedom. It's simply one of thousands of tasks our governments perform and it's one they need the help of individual citizens to do. If you don't like the system, or don't like the laws, or think it should work differently, those are different issues.
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I was called once and had to "be available" for 6 cases over the course of two weeks. For two of the cases I called in that morning, as directed, and they had been settled. For two other cases about 25 of us were in the courtroom, and 13 were randomly selected to potentially serve, the rest were dismissed for the day. For the remaining two cases I was a part of the group of 13 that were selected, but then the lawyers for each get to ask questions and then each select three jurors to remove from the panel. One case dealt with a man who claimed that his girlfriend had given him a horse, and after they broke up he sold the horse. She claimed that she had given him the use of the horse, and he had no right to sell it. In response to the lawyers' questions I disclosed that my wife and I own several horses. I was dismissed. For the other case where I was selected, the case was about a woman who was driving on a suspended license, who had an accident that injured another person. One of the questions the lawyers asked was "Have any of you ever been injured in an automobile accident?" I raised my hand. If they had asked for more information I would have said that it was a single car accident where the car slid on ice and hit a telephone pole, and my injury was nothing more than a bruise on my arm where it hit the stick shift. They didn't follow up and apparently that was enough for me to be dismissed. Oddly, at the time, one of the questions that was asked was "Is there anything that is going on that would distract you so that you would not be able to pay attention to the case?" To which everyone responded and questioning "no". After I was dismissed and made my way to my office at work I found all of my co-workers clustered around a static-y TV or a computer screen streaming news watching events unfold that morning in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.
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Chloebud, I have a friend who was called to serve in Downtown L.A. He said it wasn't a problem to change the courthouse to one near him the same way you can change the date, but that it helps to call in right away. Seagrass, you'd know if you had the call in thing. It would be on your summons. In California, some time ago, they realized they weren't getting a good diversity of jurors because of the exceptions and excuses. People hated sitting around in the jury room for two weeks. The ones who didn't have an accepted excuse were the elderly who thought it was a change to their daily lives, people who worked for big companies that paid them same as if they'd gone to work to sit there and knit or read, and maybe a smattering of students and teachers during their vacations. Now we have "One Day, One Trial" where you call in for five days to find out if you have to show up the next morning, and can arrive at a civilized time if you watch the introductory videos online. Once you're there, if you're not called to a courtroom, you're done for the year at the end of the day. "One day." If you're selected for voir dire (interview), you have to keep coming back on subsequent days as may be required to finish voir dire and, if chosen, be a juror on the trial, until you're dismissed. "One trial." It's much more humane, but just about everyone but police have to serve. The only economic excuse is pretty much if you're so poor you or your family won't eat if you don't work. People over 72 can be excused permanently if they don't wish to serve on the basis of age alone (no other excuse), but they may serve if they can do so, given reasonable accommodation for whatever infirmities a life long lived may have bestowed upon them. If you're key man in some endeavor, you can reschedule so that you can make sure to have coverage in place (which you should do when you get the summons, so you don't waste a day trying to wiggle out of it). Even the governor has to serve. Same with kids. You can reschedule to a time when you have someone to watch them. If you're a full time caregiver for a family member (which might include stay at home nursing mother of an infant), you might be able to get out of it, but you'd probably have to show up for a couple of hours and put your case to be excused to the judge. If you regularly have fill in/substitute help so you can have a day off, the courts will expect you to make the same kind of arrangement to do your jury service. In general, however, if you have One Day, One Trial, expect to go in at least one day (though now and then you don't get brought in at all), and expect not to be excused. Re voir dire: everywhere in the U.S.A., there are rules for challenges by the lawyers to excuse jurors they don't want. These are different in certain courts and perhaps vary by jurisdiction as well, but basically, as they ask the questions during voir dire, if they decide you aren't fit to serve for some reason, they can ask the judge to dismiss you for cause. There are rules about why someone can be dismissed for cause, and it's up to the judge to determine if they apply. Each side also has a certain number of jurors they can dismiss without demonstrating a valid reason, just because they don't like them. Once both sides have used up these "peremptory challenges". any fit juror must be accepted, including astrologers and lawyers. :) No one wants to empanel the friend I mentioned. He's an academic, exceeding intelligent, very attentive and nitpicky. He's always one of the first peremptory challenges. They want bidable and cooperative people who will behave in a predictable manner.
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In response to what Kathsgrdn just wrote, I would have to say that if there were any "red flags" in my case it would have to have been the fact that I worked in a law office and was living with an attorney (the man to whom I am now married). I suppose the Defendant's insurance company thought it was a scam. But, as I said earlier, tailing me - even around Disneyland! - gave them nothing they could use against me and even supported my allegations. The way I found out I was being tailed was that when we were at Disneyland with some friends, I noticed that it seemed that no matter where we went, no matter what "Land" (e.g., Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, etc.) we were in, I saw the same man nearby. I realize that there are thousands of people in Disneyland at any given point in time and people move around the entire place so it would not be unusual for two people unknown to each other to wind up in the same place more than once, but it just seemed odd. The guy was by himself, and had a camera (on a strap around his neck). But, we never ever saw him take a picture of anything. Obviously, he wasn't going to take a picture of me when I was looking right at him, but if he were truly on an I-want-to-take-pictures-of-Disneyland expedition, we would have seen him take at least one photo, but we never did. We had been there for several hours by the time we noticed this guy, and were there for several more hours after we spotted him. At one point we deliberately went from place to place just to see if he would be in the new location, too, and he always was. Then there came the point in time when we served the Defendant with Interrogatories. One of the questions was about surveillance of me, and because the Interrogatories have to be answered under penalty of perjury, he responded that, yes, he knew his insurance company had me under surveillance. This was also brought up in testimony during the trial. I was under surveillance every day for many months.
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ravencajun Zone 8b TX
15 years ago
I keep my letter in my home files and have had to use it a few times, the lady told me they can not keep them on file and can not mark you out as not eligible so I would still get the notices just go ahead and send in the copy of the letter each time and they would take care of it, wish there was a way they could just take you out of the system if they know it is not something that will change saves time and paperwork for everyone.
minnie_tx
15 years ago
In Texas after a certain birthday you no longer have to serve.
joann23456
15 years ago
Massachusetts has a system where you serve for one day or one trial (if you're picked) and can only be called once every three years. I would like to be on a jury, but I never get picked because I am a lawyer and usually know the players.

It's a shame that they can't mark you as permanently disqualified.
samkaren
15 years ago
Last time I got summons was about 5 years ago. Got district court...2 months later I got Federal court and 2 months later I got Grand Jury. I went to them but when i got the Grand Jury summons I was so fed up with the system I got back at them. I had a severe cold so I brought my Kleenex, cough drops etc with me. When I got there the lady said "why didn't you ask for an extension"? I replied with..."You wanted me...you got me". I was dismissed after I got into the court room. I was told in IL they start with the voting list and then use the drivers license list. I had my name taken off the voting list and haven't been called in 5 years.

SamKaren
your resident DJ
mawheel
15 years ago
I've actually served on a jury only twice in over fifty years, but have been called a few times since we moved to WV. The first time we were in FL for the Winter, so I had an excuse; the last two times, my DH has not been in good health, so I signed the form stating that since I was "over 70", I could be permanently excused. I haven't been called since sending that form to the state.
wildchild
15 years ago
I get a summons a once a year. I wouldn't mind serving but they never select me. The closest I got was filling out a really long questioner.

We have a phone number to call in each day to see if we have to show up. After 5 days or Friday,whichever comes first, our potential "service" is over for that year.

I pretty much know they won't want me now since they would have to accommodate my deafness with CART (real time captioning). They are supposed to provide it but I suspect they would rather move on to the next potential juror instead.
softball_80
15 years ago
Here in Pa once you hit 70 service is optional. By looking a your profile I'm sure you would meet that requirement although it doesn't say where you live. Call and inquire.
jannie
15 years ago
I've served twice when I was much younger (40's) , enjoyed seeing the court system working, then got two phone-call notices. Had to call every day to see if I was needed. Both times I wasn't needed. Then I got a summons for Grand Jury, I don't feel comfortable driving that far. As I'm on dialysis and a transplant waiting list, I got excused. Wonder if they'll try again. DH hasn't been called in an awful long time.
vannie
15 years ago
Right, Minnie. It used to be 65 and when I turned 65 they upped it to 70, so no benefit in getting older. LOL I e-mailed then about my summons and got a reply this morning saying the letter from Feb.24 would suffice for this summons.
lowspark
15 years ago
I've served on three juries. First one was a horrific child abuse case with disturbing details which stay with me to this day. Second was a drug possession case in which I learned more about crack than I needed to know! And third was a speeding ticket.

When I was in college and got called, I always opted out (full time student), but hated doing so because I figured it would be fun and interesting. Boy was I wrong!

That first case was so disturbing. I simply do not want to know these kinds of things. The second one was actually very interesting while we were in the courtroom, but in the jury room we had to deal with an idiotic juror who (I believe) wanted to be center of attention. She made everything extremely difficult and Friday afternoon when they came in and said we either had to decide or would have to come back on Monday, she suddenly gave in. OY!

And the speeding ticket! In a notorious speed trap which I happened to know about because I'd lived near it for years. We had to listen to the defendant's attorney (for a speeding ticket!) ask the same questions over and over again to the cop about his radar gun. That street is four lanes and just begs to be speeded on and the limit is 30mph and there is ALWAYS at least one cop with a radar gun on that mile or so stretch. What a waste of 12 people's time, not including the judge and everyone else.

So, at this point, I'm sorta jaded about jury duty. I know it needs to be done and I will go again when called but I really do feel I've done my duty!!
deborah_ps
15 years ago
Since moving to Palm Springs I get called every single year.
Last year was seated on a Capital murder case that lasted 3 months...then another week for the sentencing.
One year almost to the day I'm called again!
Called in starting Sunday, Monday(x 2), Tues, Wed (x 2) Thurs. Friday called in at 9:30, 10:30, then told to show up at 12:00. Cripes!
Sat around until 5:00 before told to return the next Monday. Was finally released on Wednesday.
I have to drive quite some miles, and most of what occurs (instructions, waiting, etc.) could have been done either over the phone or internet. Had 75 people show up to ask whether one could serve or had a hardship...then sent home!
I don't mind doing my duty, yet the system needs updating in my opinion.

Jury Duty

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ravencajun Zone 8b TX

vannie

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