Jury duty!

[happyhats]

I was summoned for jury duty. In my state I can be called anytime from July to December of this year to perform jury duty. You can be called multiple times in the six month period. I have never been called for jury duty before.

I actually wouldn't mind doing jury duty. Very seldom does my county have a case that would take more than a day or so. I live in a pretty rural, low crime area. However, the hubby is the only really reliable childcare I have if I were to be summoned (especially on short notice as the form seems to indicate?). He is going to find out in the next few days what he would have to do if I were called. If he would be penalized, etc, I will have to ask for an excusal for hardship. If they refuse me an excusal I will ask for a postponement so I can have my own drivers license by the next time and be able to drive myself and make some kinds of arrangements for the children. We have no public transportation so my husband would have to drive me, and back, etc.

Has anyone done jury duty? What was it like?
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keep it simple

[jodysomething]

I've been summoned three times, and managed not to get impaneled once, thank heaven. I live in Los Angeles, home of the year-long celebrity media circus trial. 'Nuff said.

Sorry, that's no help.
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Gods of the Game

[Chiquita]

I've been summoned twice as an adult, college students get a waiver. Once I was dismissed before lunch, yeah. Once I had to serve. They picked me late in the day and I had to scramble to have someone watch my kid that afternoon, MrC had a night class to teach. The trial lasted one day.

MrC served many years ago. At the time his company had a policy of paying you for ALL days you were on jury duty. The case he sat on lasted more than a week, they changed their policy after that to only pay you for 3 or so day, don't recall exactly. That is fairly unusual though.

Take lots to read, don't forget your tablet and MP3 player. Cardigan just in case it is cold. The hardest part of actually being seat on a jury and hearing the case, they won't let you take notes so you REALLY have to pay attention. And I wasn't expecting to have the lawyers come in and talk to us after the decision was handed down, mostly they wanted to know what lead us to our decision so they can learn something. You don't have to answer questions, it was just a way to help them do their job better in the future.

[petunia_843]

I got called for jury duty twice - once in NYC and once in Kansas. In NYC, I first got called to be selected for a drug case. I told the judge that I thought drugs should be legalized! They sent me down for a civil case after that - a taxi driver that had hit another car. They were all set to go to trial and then I showed up the next morning and they had settled it overnight, so I got dismissed.

In Kansas, I went and sat in the jury selection room for a day. They picked one jury and I wasn't on it. They were going to pick another jury after lunch and the defendant absconded over lunch! So I got dismissed again.

I really wouldn't mind serving on a jury, especially now that I am employed and my employer has to let me off and pay me. If I get called again it's no big deal. It does involve a termendous amount of waiting, though. And I don't think anyone wants to be called for a super long trial, or a trial where you'll get sequestered.

[caropop]

I got called like three times in college--when I was living in another state. I've been called once since then. It was for the county where my parents are, cause that's where I lived when I first moved back. They have no call-in system so I had to drive out there and show up only to find out that the case had settled before getting to court. All I had to do was sign my name.
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country cookin' makes you good lookin'

it's a blog!

[Crumb]

I've been called twice but I've never served: once it was the wrong county, and once it was for a case being tried by my lawyer! I was on bedrest that second time so I wasn't there, but obviously if I had been there I would not have gotten picked. :)

You want to know how to get picked? Don't say anything during voir dire (the process where they select the jury). If you talk a lot during voir dire you're more likely to say something that one side or the other doesn't want to hear, so someone will strike you.

And if you do sit on a jury and the lawyers want to talk to you afterwards, please do it! (If you're comfortable with it, of course.) It's SO helpful to litigators to talk to their juries, whether they win or lose.

[ashular]

I got called once in my home county, but was living away at college at the time, so I was excused.

I have since changed my residency/voting registration to NYC, and got summoned last summer in King's County (Brooklyn), where I live. I was called into one of the first voir dire sessions, but was never even interviewed, as it was a civil case and they only needed one more juror and and alternates, and they picked from the first group of people. I still had to wait for the rest of the day, but was never called in again. At the end of the day I got my form indicating I'd served my civic duty, and am off the hook for 8 years!
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To a detached person the complication of the involved life
is like chaos
If you don't like the chaos you're a classicist
If you like it you're a romanticist

[Sainte Eph]

I was called twice during college, but got excused since I could not miss my classes.

I was called again 2 years ago, on my birthday! I was brought in for voir dire, but was not selected for the jury on that case. I had to come in again the next day as well - I spent all day in the waiting room and wasn't called for any cases, so I was excused.

It was super boring in the waiting area - I should have brought a laptop or something. I brought a book, but finished it pretty quickly, and then all I could do was doodle on a notepad for the rest of the day and space out.

We got paid $12 a day, but I gave that check to my employer and they paid me my regular wages for those days.

I wouldn't have minded being selected - I think it would be an interesting experience.
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No fork left behind!

[happyhats]

well, I'm asking for an excusal or postponement. From the sound of the letter and forms, obtaining a postponement shouldn't be an issue. My husband's job doesn't offer any real leeway for my jury duty so it would be hard financially as well as possibly hurt his employment record. In January (you can ask for a six month postponement) he'll have more vacation time,etc. He cannot take off sick days, vacation time, etc on short notice so basically he'll have to take it off whether I end up being called in or not, but in January that wouldn't be such an issue.

I hope it works out. Like I said, I think serving would be kind of interesting, and at the very least a day of quiet people watching wouldn't be minded. But I want to have 'all my ducks in a row' to do so.
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keep it simple

[super_nuova]

I had jury duty last year. I was lucky because it was right after school ended and I was on summer vacation. I didn't have to worry about missing work or following a schedule really, so that was nice.

I got called for a jury. I ended up on a DUI case that lasted for two days. The voir dire process was interesting/ awkward for me. I ended up having to answer a lot of questions because I have police officers in my family and they asked a lot about violent crimes (my brother was shot in the line of duty) so I had to talk about that, which was uncomfortable. I was surprised that they chose me for the jury, actually. The trial was interesting because I hadn't been on a jury before.

I think being on a jury when you have to worry about childcare/ transportation/ logistics and all that would be a lot more stressful and not just "interesting." Asking for a postponement sounds like a good idea.
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Silly silly me,
I forgot that I was mute.
I started talking.

[Figwit]

I've never been called, but now that I'm breastfeeding I won't be going in for... a long while. I'm also probably WAY too opinionated for them, so I'd be surprised if anyone thought I'd be impartial.
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good, clean, fair.

small is possible.

[silverfish2007]

You can get an exception from jury duty if you are breast feeding?

I got called once, my judge was pretty strict about dismissing people. He dismissed a few people who had travel arrangements they couldn't get out of, but most people who had work issues (such as a big project due or something) he did not. One woman was editing a manuscript and Voir Dire was unpleasant, but it totally depends on the case. Mine was a civil case and we were asked a lot of questions about PTSD (did we or anyone we know have any experience with it), and law enforcement/authority. That took several hours, we dismissed for lunch and then the jury was finally selected at about 2pm. I did not get picked. A couple hours later, it was on the news that as soon as the trial was supposed to begin, the defendant had an apparent hysterical breakdown and they either dismissed or postponed the trial or something for her to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
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candy to carrots