WAHHH!!!!I got summoned for JURY DUTY!!LOL!

#61
I just finished 4 days of jury duty, or rather, jury selection.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I took the subway downtown (20 minutes to get there, from my house.) I also took lots to read and a bit of work, but I found people were really friendly and nice and I didn't get much chance to do any reading.

There must have been more than 500 people and some brought portable DVD players and so many had their laptops (for working and watching movies) and everyone was very laid back and approachable and resigned to the fact that we were stuck there for a week.

I never got selected, but I may not mind if I were chosen to sit on a jury the next time. It was really interesting! Except, being that this was the downtown Courthouse, the charges were all very serious and all of them involved murder, drugs, kidnapping, sexual assault and weapons charges... and it kind of scared me. :P
 
#63
I'm 28 and have been called every year for the last 5 years and probably 2-3 times before that.

I live in LA, where it's more likely than almost anywhere else in the country to be called for a major case that could take weeks or months (like those that involve celebrities or murder trials), and I can honestly say that jury duty isn't all that bad. For one, I have a stressful job, and jury duty gives me an excused day to not do much at all (last time I was called, I got to read a book I'd wanted to for a long time). Second, the vast majority of trials don't take more than 3-4 days. And I got to meet some interesting people I wouldn't have met otherwise.

The jury trial is a major key in our legal system, just think what it'd be like if one elite group of people kept deciding on every trial over and over again.
 
#64
OH NO!! That sucks!!! :cursing:

Question: If you don't vote, they don't let you serve for jury duty right?? I've heard that a lot! Good thing I don't vote!!! I would HATE to go to one of those
 
#65
I've been summoned twice. The first time was a few years ago and my group was called in to the courthouse. I sat through a whole day of watching other people being questioned by the lawyers & judge. The case had to do with spousal abuse, so the questions were based on that. People who stated that they had first hand experience or parents/family members who were abused were almost immediately excused. The guy who was first to be questioned answered everything accordingly and the lawyers moved on to the next person...but after a few people were excused, that first guy raised his hand and started to say he is biased because his father was abusive to his mother. It seemed rather obvious he was trying to get out of being chosen (especially since when he was asked to elaborate, he refused) so the lawyers and judge asked to speak to him privately. Not sure what went on, but they excused him. By the end of the day, they still hadn't selected a full panel of jurors, so we all had to go in again the next morning.....only to be dismissed because the case had been dropped! I think I ended up getting about $14 as reimbursement. The only thing I really disliked about the process was having to wake up at 7am during my summer vacation! :cursing: Other than that, it wasn't too bad.

The second time was just this past week, but I postponed it since I had to make an emergency trip overseas. So now I'm re-scheduled for the first week of April. The postponement process was really simple...all I had to do was fax/mail in a letter with my request and state a date when I would be available :idea: I don't think they even need to hear a reason, but I included one just in case :shrugs:

krmkjk, how you get summoned is dependent on your state/county. I know in mine, you can be summoned even if you're not a registered voter. The website states they can get your name from the DMV, customer mailing lists, utility companies, or telephone directories.
 
#66
lorihmatthews said:
Are you serious? Here in San Francisco you can get summoned once a year -- and I have been for the past three years!

Luckily this last time I did have to spend a few days in the courthouse, but didn't get picked for a jury. The first one would have been for 3-6 MONTHS -- but I was able to declare personal hardship for that one because I do freelance work and if I don't work, I don't get paid. The second one I was initially chosen, but the DA excused me ... not sure why, but he did. I guess I'll see what happens next year.
Click to expand...

Yup they say it is because the city is so crowded...so i guess they don't run out of people to summon :yahoo:
 
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