So I got summoned about 2 weeks ago. No problem, actually sort of looking forward to seeing the inner workings of our amazing legal system at work. Shoot - I even knew from friends that there would be a lot of time spent sitting and waiting so I proceded to my local giant book cavern and purchased a title specifically to bide my time whilst waiting.
Then 12 days or so went by and honestly I thought of my civic duty no more. It was an exciting weekend filled with football and friends and films (LOTR:Two Towers rocks!) . . . and forgetfullness.
About two o’clock this afternoon I am writing a check for my groceries when the date sparks something deep in my head. I stand motionless for about ten seconds trying to find what it is I have missed. Like a ton of bricks it hits me. I was supposed to report to the Second District Court this morning. D’OH !!
So I race home to contact my jury clerk. Alas, I only get her voice mail so I leave a rambling apologetic message ending with the phrase “and let me know if I need to turn myself in to the police”.
For all I know I may have a bench warrant out for my arrest ! Me ! NothingMan ! A simple law abiding citizen who has never done anything to hurt anyone . . . now a common criminal. I haven’t heard back from her so I am not sure what to do.
Don t sweat it, too much. I did the very same thing last year. Call the clerk’s office first thing in the morning, tell 'em you forgot, and I bet they’ll just reschedule you sometime in the next couple of weeks. That’s what they did with me.
It can actually be kind of fun, well, interesting anyway, to serve.
I, too, forgot to report to jury duty a year-and-a-half ago. I’d written to the judge (as specified in the summons) explaining that, as a by-the-hour software contractor, I’d lose mondo buckaroos if I had to sit around in a jury room for 2 weeks, but as of the time of my scheduled jury duty date, the judge hadn’t written or called back.
Fortunately, their automated phone system explained that if you hadn’t received notification to the contrary, you could assume that your request to be excused from jury duty had been granted. :whew:
Here in Ventura Co., CA where I reside (despite where my SD location says I am), failure to report carries an automatic bench warrant for immediate arrest, and a $1500 fine. But we locals have a saying, ‘come on vacation, leave on probation.’ Our county gov’t is really anal.
The economic hardship gabit doesn’t work here, unless you can show on paper that the loss of one day’s wages will put you in the red.
That said, i’ve been in a similar situation. But I called to reschedule my appearance (the day after I was to show), and warrant/fine were waived pending my appearance on the new date.
I don’t know how anal your county gov’t is in knoxville, but i’d guess most local gov’ts would rather have you out there making money than sitting in jail for an FTA.
I served on a jury once… the hardest part was keeping awake. You know how people fall asleep and freeze to death in arctic conditions? Well that is what it was like. I think they had the thermostat set at about -20F.
I, too, actually failed to give them a convincing excuse one year (back when I was living in Los Angeles as a college student), and was thereby unable to get out of jury duty. So, I actually showed up.
I was called onto no less than 4 cases for possible jury selection. In every instance, I was “thanked and excused” by one of the attorneys. Apparently, the defense attorney for someone accused of shooting a gun into somebody’s house wasn’t too thrilled about the fact that I’d had a friend shot by a BB gun once.
I got called 4 times in 2000. Limit in Calif, I guess is once per year. So I write them, Im Deaf blah blah. THey write back, so what? We give you an interpreter! I say, thanks but I don’t know that much sign language for court & I don’t want to send the guy to the chair if I misread a sign. They say, ok.
I did an internship over the summer for a law firm. At one of the trials I attended, they were reading pages worth of questions and answers…the witness couldn’t be there. About half the jury fell asleep.
Here in Chicago, you are supposed to be called only once a year. Keep your check stub from your prior service (a whopping $18.00 per day, which doesn’t even cover parking and lunch if you’re downtown) and you can get out of it for the next year. Of course, nobody keeps theirs, so some have to serve more than once.
When I was called, I had another engagement and didn’t show up. The just sent out another summons for a different day. Had I missed that one, they would have sent the sheriffs out to get me.
I have left three messages with this jury clerk so far . . . and no word.
Now what ?
I’m hoping as others have mentioned that perhaps they will either auto-excuse me or simply summon me again.
Otherwise I assume I will be on a future episode of “COPS” where they serve the warrant by bashing down my door at 2:30 in the morning screaming “get down, get down, get the f’ down now !!”. Then they can arrest me in my boxers and cart me off to the pokey for several uncomfortable conversations. . .
(I do have rotten luck.)
Seriously, I guess I will just keep calling this woman until she decides to phone me back. What else can I do ?
Every district is different. Where I am, if they call you, you must come. You can postpone but getting a permenant excuse is very difficult. And you can only postpone once. After that your summons says “No Further Postponments” so don’t try to get out of it again. Even our mayor had to serve.
I had a co-worker who received her summons. She had just started working three days earlier and didn’t want to rock the boat so she just ignored it. Two months later, uniform police officers knocked on her door. It scared the living crap out of her. She appeared for her court date, was fined and was given a new jury duty date.
Here’s it’s every four years. With the strict “must appear” rules they don’t really have to call you again.
Im in California & you are supposed to show up, however, they ask that you call beforehand to see if your group is actually being called in, if not, well you don’t have to show up.
