Jury Duty???

HAHAHAHA!! Thats what I say I'm going to do. But I got one better..... I just don't bother showing up.

You can postpone it...

I got called in and luckily enough it was a malpractice suit against the doctor who delivered my three kids. I was out of there in under an hour and don't have to go back again for 10 years.

I think they use your Driver's License now to pick names. Wear your GFY shirt or just fall asleep when you enter the courtroom and get seated. They kicked me out last time I went for selection.

I got called up 3 times in one year. County court and city twice.

I wore a NRA shirt the last time, was out real fast

I was called up a few months ago and told I was on "stand by". I had to call a number the day before, and then told me I was released from Jury Duty. Awesome. Otherwise I've never done it.

In my state you have a mandatory question sheet to answer and send in. Those questions were also available online. I just got called for jury duty and filled out the questions online.

They were very leading, they want you to answer 1 way and only 1 way. One of them was "would your decision be pursuaded by a witnesses occupation?" Above that was a nice long paragraph how that should not affect your decision.

I said yes (instead of the answer "no" they were looking for). My explanation was I tend to believe law enforcement over criminals.

It was bullshit, but it worked. Called in the night before and I was excused ;)

Just show up there with your purple hair and they'll let you go.

USA finest at work

I think it's a felony now if you simply dont show up, so whatever you do, dont just not show up.

my hair is black these days, haha

I'm contacting them about a delay/postponement. I don't mind doing my civic duty and all that, but I have a lot of meetings for Tuesday I'd rather not have to shift or postpone.

yup, they will come haul you away if you don't show up...I don't plan on doing that

hahaha! don't go

not showing up = contempt of court + $500 fine + bench warrant

Great idea.

I can only hope that should you ever be falsely acused of a crime and have to stand trial that you end up with a jury of people "too stupid to get out of jury duty".

I got called in once, got selected to be on the jury for a case of woman being charged with child abuse for throwing something at her teenage son. Said I didn't want to be responsible for anything that might break a family up (half true - lord knows the kid might have done something really stupid that would have deserved an ass whoopin') and they wound up letting me go. Truth be told, at the time had a job and wouldn't have been able to get more than a couple days of jury duty pay - if I realized that, it wouldn't have even gotten that far.

I realize the obligation but sometimes it's just not a good time for the life interruption.

So they only gave you a few days notice for a trial? You are talking actual trial and not just for your 3 month standbye service?

I am just coming off standbye for Nov thru Jan. As of today it is getting too late for me to be summoned anymore this month. I was summoned in Nov (25 days advance) for a trial in Dec.

Night before I called as required and it was indeed cancelled.

5 years is the off time before you can be put on standbye again in my County. (Lucky you Candyflip, 10 years!)

I was also called in to a trial about 5 1/2 years back and was selected to be in the main 12 out of the pool of around 40. But one of the attorneys dismissed me.

So your chances..

1) you have be summoned to a trial.

Factors..

a) How big your county is. Big countys have more trials but also more pools. Real small counties often have more pools than trials. Thus, you will not be called in twice.
b) If your name is in front of alphabet you might be in the first pools (just a theory)

2) the trial must not be settled as many are.

3) if summoned, you must be selected (3:1 odds) to be on the actual jury of 12 and thus get to field questions in the attorney examinations.

4) You must not get dismissed by either attorney.

5) Make it this far and you are on the jury and will get $25 a day in my county plus milage whether dismissed, on the jury or in the standbye jury pool which is also dismissed I believe except for two alternates. I was out of there in my trial by then and not sure how that works.

Diff is you have to eat a take along lunch and spend some afternoon time if on the jury. At this point you are not allowed to leave the bldg for noon hour. Same pay as those who are allowed to leave.

Luckily most trials go only one day. And most (especially smaller) countys never call you in more than once.

I estimate (having seen the math) that smaller counties have maybe 5-10 pools. Most counties maybe 30 pools. And super large Counties Like (Cook County, Chicago) 100+ pools.

Good luck. I am out of the woods for another 5 years as of about today. At least you will soon be out of the woods again.

Probably you wouldn't qualify as one of a jury of the accused "peers" unless he was a filth-pandering pornography peddler.

Just sayin'

:D

What the attorneys look at (to pick 14 from the pool of 40) is education level and perceived intelligence. They want people they can reason with. Occupation is actually not as big a deal altho also considered as they go hand in hand sometimes.

An educated starving artist will prob be called before a high school dropout whiz kid with his own biz.

These are the only two personal things they ask you on the initial papers. Education level and occupation.

Except if you are a cop or even know a cop well (husband, dad, uncle, brother, roommate) you are out of there in almost all cases. Standard attorney question to all.