But she actually has to show up on that day, thus missing a day of work anyhow, in order to even make it to voir dire.
I’ve been called to jury duty twice, both times when I was at a job that didn’t pay for the time I missed. In one instance, I would have had to be excused every few hours to pump breastmilk. None of this really seemed to me like good reasons to get excused, but I’ve always wanted to actually serve on a jury.
Maybe now that I’m no longer working as a Mental Health clinician, I’ll have a shot someday. Those folks always get dismissed.
Around here, you can get a deferral if you would suffer financially, or for other reasons.
I recently got a summons for the day before I leave on a trip (the problem would be if I had to be there for more than one day). There’s a box there for a request for deferral, and I filled it out, and got one.
But, I still don’t think one should try to get out of it. It’s your responsibility to your fellow citizens.
AIUI there’s a size requirement to that. Certainly there is one in NYS. Below a certain number of employees a company doesn’t have to cover jury duty pay. The State will cover someone’s pay, of course.
Up to the maximum that they’re authorized to pay. Here in NYS - that’s $40 a day. :rolleyes:
So, I can easily see for many people it would be a hardship.
I’ll admit, for me, two days of jury duty will likely be a huge bonus. But my situation is pretty rare.
I have a very basic problem with being forced to do things. It does not cause me to have a helpful attitude. Attorneys and the get pick the jurors; why don’t they pick from those Civic Minded Citizens who want to do it? Then Guin and I can go our selfish little ways.
I further submit that in the civil action I mentioned above concerning a traffic accident, the plaintiffs and defendants were lower income African Americas. The Jurors were eleven middle class European Americans and a Jew. I don’t think we were a “Jury of their peers” unless you count Jews in the Civil Rights Movement, and I’m only a convert.
Just be completely frank about your inability to let your opinion be influenced by something as tiresome as actual facts, and I guarantee you’ll never have to serve on a jury.
You will, however, have to show up for voir dire and get excused. Sucks to be you.
Ironically, I have the opposite problem. I’d make a great juror; 20 years of journalism experience, working on a master’s degree, teacher of college students. And I’d love to serve. Alas, i will never sit on a criminal jury because my father was a policeman for 35 years in this town, and my brother is a sheriff’s deputy. I’ll never sit on a civil jury because I was the editor of the local newspaper for most of the 1990s, and for reasons no one can explain to me, that automatically disqualifies me from serving on a civil jury.
You may want to be selfish people, but the rest of us don’t have to go along with it.
Unlike some other Civic Minded Duties, one day you may need the services of a jury, and a jury will be there, because the government puts some weight behind getting people to participate. If I’m on the hook to get called for your jury, you can be on the hook for my jury.
Jury nullification = when jurors refuse to follow the law.
For example, a friend of mine served on a jury where one of the counts was battery. Some jurors did not like the definition of “battery” given in the jury instructions. They decided that a person should only be found guilty of “battery” when the person suffers a serious injury as a result of the offensive touching. They agreed that the defendant had done a “battery” as defined in the jury instructions, but refused to find him guilty because they didn’t like punishing him when the victim did not sustain a serious injury. That’s jury nullification.
Around here, having an airline ticket for the time of the trial is good for dismissal. I got out the first time I got called for this reason. However, this was just before Easter, and the judge was dismissing people who had thought about going on vacation that week, driving. Every other judge has been a lot more rigorous.
Here those wishing dismissal for financial or work reasons get a large form to fill out, and then get interviewed. I’ve never had to do that. I think financial reasons work, but “I’m too important at work” reasons don’t.
I’m all for getting out of jury duty if I can possibly do so.
I pay my taxes, and that is enough “civic duty” I care to put up with, thanks; and with all due deference to the dumbass fucks who have us several trillion dollars in debt, you’ve worn me thin. So, just be happy I don’t cheat on my taxes (although I would if I could, and I support those who do).
I’ve been called to jury duty twice. Both times I drove through shitty traffic to get to the courthouse (Tarrant County, Texas).
Once about 200 of us were gathered in the lobby, some beefy cops herded us like cattle into these roped-off serpentines. They barked at us. “Get into line, now!”
“Get closer, stay behind this mark!”
We were finally herded into a room to watch some videos about the history of the American Justice System, and then seperated into groups and assigned courtrooms for the voir dire shenanigans.
The first time I got sent home. The second time I was told to come back the next morning, which I did, only to be told to drive to another location 10 miles away, which I did, and after about 12 hours I got to sit on a jury for some 16 years old brat who tried to steal some other 16 year old brats purse and slapped her in the process.
If you can get out of jury duty, do it. If it screws up the Great American Justice System That Millions Of Soldiers Died For–well, tough shit.
So, who do you want to decide your fate - judges appointed by the same idiots who got us into a deficit and Iraq? I’ll take my chances with average citizens, thanks.
The rest of those issues could be easily resolved if you moved out of Texas and into the United States. The cops etc. involved when I did jury duty were just dandy. One courthouse was a bit far, but on the BART, but the other was like 10 blocks from my house.
Actually, I’m guessing that wasn’t me. I wasn’t even asking to get out of jury duty or how- I think it’s important and all. I was just asking the opinions on whether or not being a full time college student should be a legitimate exemption. Apparently, that was a horrible thing to ask, but asking how to get out because you don’t like it is a different manner entirely.
'Cuz if you didn’t, I’d say fuck it and just ignore the summons altogether.
Who the hell are they to tell anyone they have to take time away from their own lives and show up at the court house? Why should anyone be forced to go before them and make excuses as to why they don’t want to sit in a box with over a dozen sweating, unemployed yahoos making $9 an hour while listening to a bunch of scumbags dragging out the proceedings to add more billing hours at the rate of over $250 a pop. Fuck em. They live by the ‘prove it beyond a shadow of doubt’ credo - let them prove you even read their fucking summons.
