Jury Duty

[IrishEyes]

I've finally been called for jury duty. Has anyone ever been called for jury duty? If you were selected for a case, how long did it last?

[elleng]

1. About a week.

A Federal case, in DC. One of the best experiences of my life.

[sharp_stick]

2. Once

I told them I was a scientist and was dismissed by the defense. I did get an I'm sorry from the prosecution on the way out.

[flyingfysh]

3. 2 days

The judge appointed me foreman, so I was the one who told the court "guilty".

[freddyvh]

4. twice

once for a local county court hearing
i was an alternate

my first time was when i was 19. federal grand jury.
i was shocked since i was only on the voting rolls for about a year.
that was an interesting case

[Warpy]

5. Got called last summer

sat on one case, took about 2 days.

[forgotmylogin]

6. You mean real jury duty, not DU jury right?

I did it once when I lived in Miami. It's basically a long day of waiting around, so take a book.

I was pulled for voir dire (where a group of potential jurors are interviewed by the lawyers and culled down to the actual jury) late in the day and got seated on a 6 person jury for a minor trespassing case. We came back in the next morning and they had settled before the trial began, so for me in total it was a day and a half. Sometimes on short cases they run the trial immediately, and I believe you are always released after actually getting seated and serving as a juror (you don't go back in the pool).

I've heard of some jury duty where you're expected to pool for up to three days if they're busy. If you voir dire early and get rejected, I think you usually go back to the pool for another try.

Your employer has to give you time off to do this. There's also usually a point early where they call up anyone who wants to plead to be released due to important work or events, but usually they will reschedule you for another date.

[IrishEyes]

9. Yes, a real jury.

I've been voting since I was 18 and I'm over 30. I figured that I would be called eventually. I'm looking forward to it. I will make sure to bring a good book.

[Callmecrazy]

12. I got called last month...

Sat and waited for 5 hours and got dismissed. It really wasn't bad. They kept you informed and very comfortable. The waiting room had theater seats, a library with books and games, and a few vending machines. They played a movie to keep you occupied.
Broward County requires your employer to pay you for up to 40 hours of jury duty. My boss tried to make me use vacation pay and when I showed him the county ordinance he got pissed. I went and told everybody else on the crew so they couldn't be screwed over by this guy. I quit a week later.
I've always viewed jury duty as a civic responsibility and to throw away your jury summons is a slap in the face to every veteran who ever served to defend our rights.

[SCantiGOP]

7. A week

I had to go in every morning but wasn't picked 3 days, got on a jury once and Friday was cancelled.
Monday I was going to work if I didn't get called so I was wearing a business suit. Defense Attorney saw a Republican and struck me.
Next day I was going to do some errands if I didn't get called so I was in jeans and a flannel shirt. Prosecutor glanced at me and struck the hippie.
Sport coat with no tie was the fashion that got me on a jury. Enjoyed the experience.

[rurallib]

8. twice - was dismissed immediately both times.

one was a kind of humorous story

[Fla Dem]

14. Me too. Twice called, never even got interviewed.

[GeorgeGist]

10. 2 days

[HeiressofBickworth]

11. Three times!

First time, I sat around for the day, then we were all dismissed as all the cases that day settled.

Second time was an unmitigated disaster. The only really hot-button I have concerns child molestation. I sat in the court room as they read SEVEN counts against the guy. I cried harder with each count. I finally asked to be released. Figured after that, I would never be called back.

But I was. Last year.

I fought it; I wasn't really feeling well, but not enough to get a medical waiver so I asked for a number of continuances until they finally told me that if I didn't appear, they would charge me. And then I had the bypass surgery. Good thing I wasn't in a courthouse what I needed that! My cardiologist sent a letter to the jury coordinator asking for a two year waiver. I got it. I have one year left. I hope I never get called again.

[Skittles]

13. many times

only been on one jury, which lasted about three days

[PJMcK]

15. Four times in over forty years as a registered voter/licensed driver

Each of the four times I've been called for duty, I've been seated as a juror. Three times were criminal cases (two were adjudicated guilty and one not guilty) and once for a civil case that was settled before deliberations could begin.

It's a remarkably important service to perform. Our system depends on its citizens participation in this most serious process. Each of the judges in the cases I was on treated the jury with respect and made certain that we understood the role we were to fulfill.

I encourage you to serve, if you can. It's a marvelous civics lesson and you'll feel that you've contributed to our system of government.

It distresses me when I hear people bemoan their being called for service. A few days of your life to make certain that our justice system works well seems like a small sacrifice to me. Imagine if it were you sitting in the dock! Wouldn't you want the jurors to take your case seriously?

To answer your second question, none of the cases I served on lasted more than four or five days.

[IrishEyes]

16. I'm not complaining. I'm looking forward to it.

I hope they pick me for a case. Of course, I will take the case seriously. I come from a family of attorneys and police officers. I'm just surprised that I have never been called before.

[PJMcK]

17. Here's a suggestion

When you report for jury duty, at least in New York, you will be among dozens of potential jurors. Dress appropriately. Treat the lawyers and court officials respectfully and don't be overly dramatic in your answers during voir dire. Listen carefully and answer the questions intelligently, by which I mean read through the questions. Understand what they are looking for and answer accordingly but without embellishment. The lawyers are looking for fair-minded people.

I've met some terrific people on the juries I served on and a couple became long-term friends afterwards. There's a bonding process in the jury room! After all, you're holding someone's life in your hands. It's an important function of our society.

The last case I was on was this past January involved a man struggling with his life who was charged with a weapons offense involving a tool, (he had a razor knife for cutting floor tiles). The law with which he was charged was archaic, technically unsound and grossly unfair. We found him not guilty in fifteen minutes. That law needs to be changed but regardless, this man was wrongfully and unnecessarily charged. He wasn't guilty of the crime and he deserved far more from our criminal justice system. Also, the police were dead wrong and the two officers who testified were terrible witnesses. The officer who charged the defendant had so many contradictions in his testimony that he was useless as a witness. The other officer couldn't remember any details or she didn't see anything. Again, a useless witness. I'd like to think that the twelve of us provided an important public service.

Good luck, IrishEyes!

ETA: If you really want to serve, don't play up your family's experience as lawyers or LEO's. You could be viewed as having a bias.

[JudyM]

19. Great post and also interesting to hear about.

I'm a lawyer but I've never been called. I'd really like to experience it from the jury side and have that opportunity for civic service.

[PJMcK]

20. Oops!

If you're a lawyer, either side might not want you! You're too knowledgeable.

Still, good luck, JudyM. If you get to serve, you'll feel patriotic. I always have. It's part of our Constitution to serve.

[JudyM]

22. I know, but sometimes they let one of us on, depending on the case.

Till then, just have to live vicariously through stories like yours

[csziggy]

23. I was on a jury last year a lawyer - he was excited since it was his first time

It was a nasty case - a guy bit a woman's lip off. Most of the day we spent getting sent back to the jury room as the prosecution and defense negotiated. In the end all the basic facts were stipulated and all we had to decide was the level of the charges. The lawyer was selected as jury foreman - he kind of looked at me as if he expected me to contest it, but I didn't want to be in that position.

We took a little over a half hour and decided on the most severe charges. Most of the discussion was whether someone could accidentally bit a person's lip off - I said it was absolutely not possible. I was bitten by a horse who would have bitten my breast off if he could have and he didn't do as much damage to me as that man did to that woman.

The fun part is that the attorney who was on the jury is a regular on a local TV show that gives general legal advice. The judge, prosecutor and defense attorney all knew him and they joked about him using his experience for a show.

[JudyM]

24. Disgusting. What is with people!? Steroids? Drunk? Or just no rage control?

[csziggy]

39. It had to be a rage problem

The two people had been friends. He'd just graduated from college and from the little we were told was having a meltdown at having to leave his friends here.

On one level I felt bad for the young man. He had a lot of good things going on in his life and this one incident will forever brand him. He really needs counseling but in a Florida prison he is not going to get it. I hope he gets the help he needs some day.

[JudyM]

40. Situations like this point all the more to the need for having self-management education for kids

in school, whether it's emotional intelligence or mindfulness, there's a need for learning tools besides math and English.

Hopefully he will recover his life after he's served his time.

[csziggy]

41. True - but I think his time in prison would be a good time to learn control

So that it serves more purpose than punishment.

At least the young woman is getting help - she'd had six or seven operations to restore her lip. I hope she is getting help to get over the trauma of being attacked by a man who she thought was a good friend.

[LisaL]

18. Was called, didn't get selected. They never even gotten to question me. Was send home that same day.

[Zorro]

21. I have

Attempted 2nd degree murder trial. Lasted about a week.

I've received a jury summons plenty of times. Went in just yesterday, but everyone was dismissed after a couple of hours. That's pretty typical.

Jury duty is quite a rewarding and educational experience. One meets jury members from other walks of life and different social strata; you discover your world is different than the worlds other people inhabit.

[duncang]

25. When I lived in Houston

Twice a year was normal. Once each year for the city and each year for the county. Longest time as a juror a day. One case was settled during lunch. The other we found the defendant guilty that day. The actual court time was small and the prosecution showed a video tape of the defendant committing the crime. The video was really clear. The prosecution stopped the video showing a full face view, side view and full body view. The defense didn't object or try to say it was someone else. It took us about 15 minutes to decide. There was a little bit of chatter at first. But when it came to the video there wasn't anyone who said he was innocent.

My wife though got picked for a cocaine drug lord case. It had even made it to national news. That lasted 3 weeks. They were told to remove their juror badges any time they left the court and report anybody following them.

[Eugene]

26. Several times.

Some counties in Massachusetts call you up every three years
under a one day or one trial system.

Selected for one trail, which lasted a week.
Was excused from another trial.

[stonecutter357]

27. i can't talk about it !

[hibbing]

28. I was on a civil case 2 1/2 days

It was man suing an insurance company about an injury he got and the amount the insurance was offering. It certainly was an interesting case, I think some people on the jury wanted it to go on another day just to get the 50 bucks or whatever it was. When jury selection was going on, one potential juror did not want to serve because he managed a grocery store and it was right around Thanksgiving, I thought it was a valid reason, but he was not eliminated. The plaintiff ended up with 450K, which is what he asked for. I found the whole process fascinating and was glad I was able to do it. Please post a follow up if you get on one with your thoughts.

I'll be looking at the other posts here for other's experiences.


Peace

[IrishEyes]

34. I will

This is a good time for me to be called. I think it will be an interesting experience.

[Mz Pip]

29. I've been on twice

Both were civil cases and took about a week.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

30. I've only been called once

in over 45 years of being eligible.

Sat through hours and hours of voir dire while they picked the regular jury, then they starting questioning for the alternates. I was finally called and got to tell the judge that we were going out of town in two days, airplane tickets already purchased. So I was dismissed.

A woman was accused of deliberately setting a car on fire for the insurance money. She was convicted, and a year or two later the state supreme court tossed out all the charges against her, and made it clear that she should never have been charged in the first place, let alone gone to trial.

[LuckyLib]

45. I've never been called, after 45 years of voting (local and national) and living in

three states, four communities. I'd be happy to serve. It's our civic duty.

[fNord]

31. Best advice I've ever gotten on the subject......

https://m.

Good luck, I know you'll do the right thing!

[MichMan]

32. I had to serve once and the case made me angry

I was called just one time. I was pretty disgruntled after it was done. Pretty clear cut case of someone driving without a drivers license and charged as such

Not a situation where it was suspended, but the defendant just refused to get one. He tried to give his reasoning and it had something to do with him refusing to give his SS # to the DMV as he mentioned that he was in fact suing the state over it. The judge shut him down very quickly stating his reasons weren't relevant. The defendant tried to even call the county prosecutor as his witness and the judge wouldn't allow it.

The defendant admitted he had no license and was in fact driving, so all the jury members thought it was pretty clear he was guilty. That is all of us except one woman. She stated that the constitution gives people the right to travel and the state couldn't make you get a license and pulled out some pocket guide to the constitution she got from who know where.

It didn't matter what we said to her, she said she would never agree that the guy was guilty. We tried to use logic by asking her why the state statute requiring a drivers license had never been overturned in 70 years. Of course she said "That's because the entire court system is corrupt" We then asked her if she had a drivers license, and if so why ? She did and said she would tear it up if necessary; I wish we would have called her bluff. I asked her why airplane pilots had to have licenses or why they can take away a license for DUI and her response was always "that's different"

I finally told her she shouldn't have lied to the judge when when she said she could be impartial and follow the law and she seemed surprised I said that to her face. She asked me why I would say that and I told her; "you just said the entire court was corrupt"

We finally had to tell the judge we were deadlocked; he was not very happy. I later found out when they retried the guy he was found guilty

[Major Nikon]

33. Most of the time you never actually serve on a jury

At least that has been my experience. Every jurisdiction seems to do it differently. Many years ago I would get called for the jury pool and have to sit in a crowded room for a week with no calls to an actual jury or just report to a court only to get recycled back to the pool after a few hours when they settle at the last minute. Today my county does internet check in and you report directly to a court, so I'm usually in and out for just one day. I got called once for municipal court and was done in less than 1 hour. This year I got selected for the grand jury for the first time, but thankfully service is optional so I opted out as I just don't have time to do a 3 month assignment right now.

[Rhiannon12866]

35. I got called for a jury last year when I was out of town

So I made sure to be home the night before so I could call in. Turns out they didn't need us after all, the trial was canceled. But I still had to show up in person to turn in my summons. The only other time was several years ago when I showed up and went through an orientation. They interviewed potential jurors for the trial, but it just happened that I didn't get called up so it lasted only a day.

My mother was once on a grand jury, she was actually foreman. She never went into what the whole thing was about, I just know it involved a child. She kept having to report periodically for several months.

[Orrex]

36. Six months. I was called as the third alternate in a non-capital murder case

After several days of testimony, the case went in to recess for half a year while a question of admissibility of evidence was addressed at the state level. When we reconvened, two of the lead jurors and one of the alternates had legitimate excuses and were dismissed, and through a strange little twist I would up being the foreperson.


A very interesting process, and I wouldn't mind serving again if called.

[avebury]

37. I was called for jury duty years ago in Maine.

I had to show up every day for three weeks. They were constantly pulling juries for criminal and civil cases. Once juries got pulled for a day you got to go home but had to show up the next day. I never got selected for an actual jury.

I had an uncle that got picked for jury duty in Arizona years ago and ended up being on it forever until he finally got his doctor to write him a note to get off of it. Just because you are retired should not mean that the courts have the right to keep you on jury duty with no end in sight. He more than met his civic responsibility and was ready to be freed.

[steve2470]

38. been called twice, never selected nt

[Laffy Kat]

42. For whatever reason, I get called all the time.

I only have to serve once a year, but serve yearly I do. Don't know what system your jurisdiction uses, but in Boulder County it's "one day,one jury." So you call the number on the summons the night before and they tell you if your juror number is required to show up. Once there, you sit around in a big room and wait for the attorneys to select the number of jurors they need. The first cut is random, the second cut uses a voir dire questionnaire and you may or may not be chosen based on that.

I've ended up on a jury four times. Once as a foreperson. It's fun. You get to meet interesting people and see our justice system in action. You usually get a meal or two out of it, too. I never understood why people try to get out of jury duty.

I served on a jury the last week of February of this year and just got another summons for May! I don't have to go since I already served this cycle, but I do have to send the summons back in with an explanation. Meanwhile, there are citizens all over the place that have never been called. I don't understand.

[IrishEyes]

43. Up until now, I was one of those people that were never called.

It should be interesting.

[Laffy Kat]

44. I do hope you get on a jury.

You'll like it.

[bluecollar2]

46. summoned twice...served once

Tarrant County - Texas

Off work 4 days.

Day 1 was jury selection

Day 2 and 3 - trial and deliberations

Day 4 - Sentencing phase.

Paid for 8 hours per day by my employer at full pay. (Union Shop)

Donated pay from Tarrant County to charity in name of employer.

Was very interesting.

Found out how difficult it is to actually sit in judgement over another human being.