jury duty (1 Viewer)

[Micah Cohen]

Please kill me before Thursday, when I have to sit thru furshlugginer jury duty.



MC

 

[Michael Warner]

I hate being called for jury duty. I get summoned about every two years and I do everything in my power to get out of serving. Last year when I was called I moved up the closing date on my house by two days so I could declare that I would no longer be a resident of the state of Michigan on the date in question. Why can't they just draw from a pool of citizens who opt into the system? I'm sure that plenty of folks are happy to do their part but I'm not one of them.

My mom was almost held in contempt of court when she was summoned for jury duty last year. She truthfully told the court that her religion forbids her from passing judgement on others. The judge and prosecuting attorney read her the riot act but she stuck to her guns and was eventually excused. Don't mess with mom.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Watch one of the all-time great movies, :Twelve Andy Men" and get yourself psyched, Michah!


Yup. Only one postponement. My daughter just served. But she is good now for SIX years, Mark. Maybe its different from county-to-county. She actually had to come home to our home county from where she's going to college to serve! They would NOT let her move the date a second time!

But her story was the same as my story from the last time I served jury duty a coupla years ago. You sit around around a half-day or so...and wait for the announcement that the defendent has entered into a plea agreement and then you go home...safe in the knowledge you won't be called again for several years!

 

[Todd Henry]

I think Baltimore CIty has some period if you serve on a jury you aren't called. I served on a jury a couple of years ago, but don't recall the specific period, plus I no longer live in the city.

One of Baltimore's problems is a huge no show rate, therefore they summon about 700 people for a day and only about 50% of them show up. Therefore everyone in Baltimore City is summoned more frequently.

 

[Jay H]

I've only been sent a notice 2 times in my 35 years of existence (on this planet ).

Where I live, my county, jury duty (petit jury) is 1 god-forsaken week or 1 trial, so if you're pissed at sitting through one full day, imagine 5!!! However, the first time I got called I got out cause I guess they had enough of a pool. You are given a number and you call up the friday before the scheduled week and if you don't match the number range, you don't even have to show up.

The second and only time I've done Jury Duty was later when I sat in the room for 4 days, I got called to a court case but returned when I wasn't selected and then got called again but I got excused cause the criminal case was going on when I was on vacation. Fortunately, by the thursday, the sherriff said that we didn't have to return by friday so I did 4 days of sitting around and reading or watching CNN..

Jay

 

[Rain]

Jury duty is supposed to be somewhat random, but that's bogus. Same deal here.

I've known people who constantly get called for jury duty. I, on the other hand, have not been asked one single time (thankfully).

What you need to do is make yourself unappealing as a prospective juror, without being overt or belligerent about it (don't get yourself in trouble). I have no idea how to make that happen. Maybe show up with a dog-earred, bookmarked copy of The Executioner's Song?

 

[Paul McElligott]

I recently got called for Federal jury duty. The big difference between that and the county is that they already know what trial they want you for and can tell you (roughly) how long it's supposed to last. In this case, 25 days (about five to six weeks at four days a week).

I'm attempting to beg off because after six weeks of working one day a week, I'm going to be knocking over liquor stores to pay the rent and then they'll just need twelve more jurors. I'd be happy to work a shorter trial as I'm one of those weird people who's genuinely curious about the system and how it works.

 

[chris_everett]

The number of people who defraud the system to get out of jury duty greatly increases the burden on those who don't (It's disturbing how many people get out of it) In most jurisdictions, once you sit on a jury, they can't call you again for a couple of years. If you do get called again, they should provide a way for you to get out. For this to apply, you usually have to actually sit on a jury, not just get called in and wait around while the lawyers decide to settle.

[soapbox]
Serving jury duty is one of the few things that the state asks of it's citizens. We don't have compulsory military service, insane tax rates (90%+) civil service requirements, etc, etc... yet one week out of every few years is some unbelievable hardship. Buck up, show up, and remember that if your ever falsely accused of something, you will be afforded the same.
[/soapbox]

 

[Mike Graham]

I've known many people who worked for around $9 or less and did not have transportation across town to the courthouse who were barely let out of it; serving on the jury would've severely handicapped them financially, so there are those who can't do it -- particulary for these long, drawn out trials.

 

[Randy Tennison]

I've gotten the postcard, and called in, but never had to show up. I doubt I would ever be called for a jury, due to my position (fraud investigator and certified interrogator).

I've always said that when asked if I could be a good juror, my answer would be, "you bet, cause I can spot a guilty sucker the minute he walks in a room!"

 

[Malcolm R]

I thought this was just something that happened in movies? I've never been summoned, and I've never known anyone personally who was ever summoned.

 

[Nathan*W]

I'll give you a hint. It starts with an "L"..

..and ands with "aw Enforcement"

State law exempts people in my line of work from service.* And even if it didn't, no defense atty. in their right mind would want me. **

Sometimes it's nice not to be wanted.



* Please note the above does not apply to Federal Jury trials

** However, this probably does.

 

[Francois Caron]

So THAT'S the trick! Get into law enforcement, get out of jury duty!

Can a person with no prior experience get into law enforcement in their forties?

 

[Yee-Ming]

Aren't lawyers also exempt? (Ironic, but IIRC the reason is that non-legally trained jurors might be unduly swayed by the lawyer's opinion, since they might consider him/her an "expert", and in effect the opinion of 12 becomes the opinion of just one.)

We don't have a jury system here, so it's not something I have to worry about (although I'd probably be exempt too, being one of those "sharks" you all love to hate, and a litigator to boot), but I do wonder sometimes how different practice would be if I had to try cases before a jury instead of a judge.

 

[Michael Reuben]

For just that reason, one side or the other will usually try to prevent an attorney from being seated as a juror, either by finding cause or by using a peremptory challenge. But sometimes there's no cause, and each side has a limited number of peremptories. I know lawyers who have sat on juries here, and I know one who, far from persuading the other jurors of his point of view, was ultimately forced to change his vote to prevent a hung jury.

The federal system also has no automatic exclusion for attorneys.

M.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

i have to agree with this. jury duty is a pain in the ass, and nobody likes to go to it, but is it really THAT bad? even if it is once every year, it's really not that big of a deal. most employers give compensation when you miss work, and you are even allowed to reschedule if it's a bad time. think of how lucky we are to have the jury system, and perhaps you'll not be so upset about being called to go.

CJ

 

[Greg_R]

I am kind of shocked that you would feel this way, especially in litigation-prone Maryland. I'm really surprised that you'd say that as a business owner... businesses get sued all the time. Another common ploy is to have people file frivolous police reports ('he hit me', etc.)... you would again find yourself in court.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Come to think of it, I can see how that might happen: a lawyer might see and accept a highly technical argument, which is correct in law but just doesn't seem "right" to lay person from a moral or ethical point of view.

I've made that "mistake" myself when reading newspaper reports on criminal cases (I only do civil cases): one instance had a teen run over his girlfriend in his (father's) car, which was pleaded out as culpable homicide not amounting to murder (more serious than manslaughter, which we don't have a direct equivalent for) -- I thought it really should have been murder, but a prosecutor friend pointed out that there was no way to disprove the guy's story that it was unintentional when he drove around to pick her up again (they'd fought, she'd gotten out, and he had turned around) that he was going too fast and hit her, and hence the plea made sense. Even though most lay persons thought he'd deliberately run her down, but in order to make a case beyond reasonable doubt, with no eyewitnesses and forensics inconclusive, it was hard to debunk his story.

 

[Micah Cohen]

I know all the good, righteous things about jury duty. And yet, I can't help but LOATHE jury duty here in Baltimore City. It's awful. I imagine that a day spent waiting around in Baltimore City's court building during jury duty is very much like what it must be like in an Eastern European refugee camp. You don't want to touch anything, and you don't want to talk to anyone, and you feel like a sheep as they herd you from room to room, and you are assaulted with the video feeds (third-rate movies played loudly on a TV hanging in the corner) they play to keep the sheep calm and quiet in the crowded rooms...

And from what I have seen, having done this pretty much every year since I started living in the city, when I finally get into a courtroom (and have even sat on a jury once here, for a thankfully day-long car accident trial) I could certainly not be called a "peer" of the defendant. In fact, I hardly ever see any of my "peers" in the court building all day long when I'm waiting during jury duty.

It's a huge hassle. And, as a fan of "Cops" [], I'm pretty sure you're guilty if I have to see you in court. Sorry, your honor, but that guy does look guilty. He just does. What? Oh, I'm excused? Thank you.

MC

 

[Christ Reynolds]

yikes. another exaggeration, i hope. if not, i hope you never end up falsely accused of something, and end up with a jury full of people with your opinions.

CJ