This. Work is nice and all, but I’ve been there and done that for umpteen years. Jury duty is novel. Jury duty pays exactly the same as my real work & is far less effort. Now OTOH if I had to spend 2 weeks a month doing JD month after month my attitude would change. The novelty isn’t *that *great.
My enthusiasm for doing jury duty would also be much less if it cost me wages to attend. My understanding is that in many jurisdictions it’s illegal for an employer not to pay full wages for a worker on jury duty. That won’t help the self-employed though.
In my county, it’s one and done. If they don’t use you the day you’re called, you are free for a year. In my experience if the web page or phone system tells you that you need to report, you are probably going to wind up in a courtroom. Usually in the morning.
You still have a few hours of boredom in the jury waiting room, but I’ve been to boring meetings that are longer than that, and in meetings you have to pretend you are interested.
In my state, jury duty is a little more convoluted than most. You’re on call for an entire week Monday-Friday. You’re assigned a group number and you’re expected to call an automated line in the evening to find out whether or not you have to report the next morning. At any point in the week, they can decide that they don’t need your group number and then you don’t have to call in anymore, but if your number gets called, then you still have to keep calling on subsequent days if you don’t get assigned to a jury the following morning.
Since I’ve lived up here, I’ve gotten jury duty three times, but only been called in once, and it was during a period where I was unemployed so it wasn’t like I was missing anything. My current employer pays you for your full shift (minus the meager jury duty stipend) if you have to miss work for jury duty, so I would have no qualms about doing so again if I were summoned.
I was chosen once and spent almost 3 weeks on a murder trial. It was fascinating, particularly because it was a “Mr. Big” trial. Parts of it were a little unpleasant. First day they brought out the photos. In the end we found him guilty. It was unanimous.
Besides, my employer continued to pay me.
I picked “jury duty” because, while I enjoy my work as an attorney for the court system, for the same reason I’m very curious to serve on a jury once. I never have; been called several times and ended up in voir dire once or twice.
I get paid at work either way, though I have to sign over the piddly jury-service check for my jury day to count as a work day. My only gripe when I get a jury summons is logistical – I’d love to get called to the civil courts downtown or the one suburban court I can take the train to, I cringe a little if I get called to the criminal courts (26th & Cal for those who know Chicago), and I groan loudly if I get one of the suburban courts on the other end of the county. Yes, I have a car and I’ll drive rather than try to get the summons changed, but it won’t be as fun.
You’re a cop right? A cop was bounced right before the voir dire the last time I was called. This was a civil trial and there was a big discussion on whether the cop should even be seated for voir dire. The judge cited some state statute that said cops are essentially not required to perform and dismissed him This was in San Joaquin County in case anyone is interested.
I would prefer work. I’ve never served on a jury but from what I’ve heard I wouldn’t like it. At all. I’d do it if I were called, but I’d really rather not.
I’ve served on a Federal jury before for two weeks, at the time the pay for jury duty was just about what I was making per day, so it was a wash, income-wise. At the time I was a cop wife and frankly told the attorneys during voir dire I would give more weight to police officers’ testimony. They kept me anyway.
Now I get paid based on how much I get done during a day, so even though the company will replace my base pay, it’s substantially less than I usually earn in an average day. Besides, my work would just be waiting for me if I take a day off.
I did a week of jury duty. I still collected my regular pay (public school teacher) while doing my civic duty at $50/day. At the time, I really needed a break from the roomful of Idiocracy extras that comprised my last class of the day.
I did Grand Jury last summer. Loved it. I didn’t get paid because I’m salaried but it was interesting, I liked the other jurors (two worked at the same place that I did) and it was better than being at a job that I hated. Also loved telling management that I HAD to do it, it was my civic duty and so on, while they sputtered that I couldn’t possibly take 6 half days off over 2 months. Actually I think they made me make up the time (they made me make up a day off for a funeral) but it was worth it.
Jury duty, without question. I work for a law firm and have been involved in quite a few lengthy and complex trials. I’d love to see the process from the jurors’ perspective. Sadly, I’ve only been called for jury duty twice in my life, and never made it.
But even assuming I knew I wouldn’t be called, I still like a low-key day away from the office once-in-a-while, so my answer would still be the same.
Work. No way the recompense for jury duty would match the pay I’d be losing and if it’s only a one day case, it’s not going to be exciting or interesting.
Jury Duty. It’s paid by my work; it’s a small contribution that I can make for my community and besides, if a judge tells me to do something, then I’d better do it.
I’m very curious to serve on a jury once. I never have; been called several times and ended up in voir dire once or twice.
My only gripe when I get a jury summons is logistical – I’d love to get called to the civil courts downtown or the one suburban court I can take the train to, I cringe a little if I get called to the criminal courts (26th & Cal for those who know Chicago), and I groan loudly if I get one of the suburban courts on the other end of the county. Yes, I have a car and I’ll drive rather than try to get the summons changed, but it won’t be as fun. 