# Jury Duty--15 bucks a day.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397 "2007-10-29T01:55:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/1 "2007-10-29T01:55:07Z")
Okay, so I’m not mad enough at the local government (see my related pit thread), but now I have a summons for jury duty stating that they will pay me the handsome sum of $15 for an eight hour day (if I serve on a jury, then on the 4th day, I get $30 bucks!) Now, my question, is: How do they get around federal and FL state minimum wage laws? $15 per day is less than $2 per hour. If I paid my workers $2 per hour, I would be in handcuffs enjoying the county facilities. How does the state get away with this? This isn’t a pit, just looking for a factual answer…Thanks… ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/2 "2007-10-29T02:32:46Z")
I’m assuming that it falls under the category of civic duty, not employment, so they don’t have to meet a minimum or necessarily even pay anything at all. Just guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/3 "2007-10-29T03:04:51Z")
Not everything is covered by minimum wage provisions. Large numbers of jobs are specifically exempted. I assume jury duty is one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/4 "2007-10-29T03:39:51Z")
The Federal minimum wage law opens as follows: > [@The Law](#): > > Every employer shall pay to each of his employees who in any workweek is engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, or is employed in an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, wages at the following rates: As a juror, you are not an employee, and you’re not engaged in commerce or the production of goods. Heck, you’re not even getting a “wage.” At the federal level you are given an “attendance fee” which is established by law. They may call the fee something different in your jurisdiction, but rest easy knowing that you wouldn’t be covered by the minimum wage law anyways. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/5 "2007-10-29T03:41:23Z")
All jurors get here is free parking. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/6 "2007-10-29T04:16:01Z")
Does the US Military pay Minimum Wage for recruits? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/7 "2007-10-29T06:58:41Z")
Do you have to pay income tax on that? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/8 "2007-10-29T07:44:22Z")
[QUOTE=cookeze] Do you have to pay income tax on that? [/QUOTE] Certainly. It’s _income_, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/9 "2007-10-29T07:59:05Z")
You guys seem to be hard-done by. Here, the rate _starts_ at $31 for 3 hours, and goes up from there. The employer is encouraged, but not obligated, to pay the juror his/her usual wages, but the fee then goes to the employer if they do pay. Parking costs can be claimed. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/10 "2007-10-29T08:23:16Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Does the US Military pay Minimum Wage for recruits? 😕 [/QUOTE] Yes. If you take the base pay for a recruit and figure it on a 2080 hour work year and the Fed. min. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/11 "2007-10-29T08:54:13Z")
[QUOTE=Ice Wolf] You guys seem to be hard-done by. Here, the rate _starts_ at $31 for 3 hours, and goes up from there. The employer is encouraged, but not obligated, to pay the juror his/her usual wages, but the fee then goes to the employer if they do pay. Parking costs can be claimed. [/QUOTE] Were I come from, the $15 a day only starts on the second day of service. And that doesn’t include the up to three days you might spend waiting to see if you’re even going to be put in the jury pool that day. 4 days of work I lost last time, and not a dime from any one. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/12 "2007-10-29T11:00:52Z")
When I served on a Jury about 8 years ago, I was out of work for 4 days (company paid me nothing). The court paid me $6/day. WooHoo! We did get one nice lunch from the judge, and it was an intesting experience, but if I wanted $6/day, I’d move to Yemen. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/13 "2007-10-29T14:45:52Z")
On a related note, has juror pay of $5 a day always been the case, even 100 years ago when $5 might have been like $100 today? That’s still not terrific, but it’s a lot better than $5 today. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/14 "2007-10-29T14:51:05Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] All jurors get here is free parking. [/QUOTE] At our county court, they don’t even get free parking. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/15 "2007-10-29T15:37:23Z")
City jurors here get that whopping $5 a day. I don’t think I even cashed my check. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/16 "2007-10-29T15:50:43Z")
Hey, I was subpoenaed to testify in a court case a few years back. I got no payment, had to pay for parking, and had to buy lunch. Plus, there were absolutely zero grounds for the suit (and the judge agreed). Jury duty is a cake walk. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/17 "2007-10-29T16:02:41Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Hey, I was subpoenaed to testify in a court case a few years back. I got no payment, had to pay for parking, and had to buy lunch. Plus, there were absolutely zero grounds for the suit (and the judge agreed). Jury duty is a cake walk. [/QUOTE] Was it veterinary related? If so, you should have insisted they bring you in as an Expert Witness. Then, the defense/prosecution would have had to pay you. One of the perks I’m looking forward to 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/18 "2007-10-29T16:50:09Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] City jurors here get that whopping $5 a day. I don’t think I even cashed my check. [/QUOTE] I think I got some bizzare sum last time of like $17.88 for a day of reading a book courtesy of the Cook County Illinois court system, but I don’t think I cashed mine either. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/19 "2007-10-29T16:56:43Z")
[QUOTE=Pullet] Was it veterinary related? If so, you should have insisted they bring you in as an Expert Witness. Then, the defense/prosecution would have had to pay you. One of the perks I’m looking forward to 🙂 [/QUOTE] Yes, it was veterinary related. I saw a dog at an emergency clinic. A healthy, happy dog. I investigated the owner’s complaint, blood work was non remarkable. The owner (an attorney) then sued the original veterinarian. The owner acted as her own attorney. She had no case. I was called as the emergency veterinarian who saw the dog. I testified honestly, but mad a “statement of disgust” as well. The judge admonished me, but told me he understood my attitude and found for the defense. The judge gave the plaintiff a “talking to”. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397/20 "2007-10-29T17:02:58Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Yes, it was veterinary related. I saw a dog at an emergency clinic. A healthy, happy dog. I investigated the owner’s complaint, blood work was non remarkable. The owner (an attorney) then sued the original veterinarian. The owner acted as her own attorney. She had no case. I was called as the emergency veterinarian who saw the dog. I testified honestly, but mad a “statement of disgust” as well. The judge admonished me, but told me he understood my attitude and found for the defense. The judge gave the plaintiff a “talking to”. [/QUOTE] Horay, fun with crazy clients. Although, being able to make a statement of disgust that’s now in the public record must have been pretty cathartic. \ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-15-bucks-a-day/424397.md?page=2)