# Jury duty selection- is it really fair for a court to do this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 4, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757 "2016-08-04T17:33:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/81 "2016-08-08T18:44:44Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > How is it clear you’re talking about serving on a jury and not serving on a jury pool The first line of the post you were replying to was " Have you had to spend 16 hours in a juror pool" ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/82 "2016-08-08T18:46:18Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I asked him if he’s ever had to do it…I didn’t ask him if he, as a lawyer, has had to do it. If you ask someone a question do they say always say “Well I, as a [occupation]…” No, because that’s strange. On top of that, even if for some strange reason I was asking him if he was exempt from it for being a lawyer (really, I just wanted to know if he had been through it, if he didn’t have the experience, he has a bit less to say about it), YOU, _twice_ brought lawyers and police officers into it. Why? LOL, because why do you think he’d be exempt from the same responsibilities to jury duty as you? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/83 "2016-08-08T18:49:25Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The first line of the post you were replying to was " Have you had to spend 16 hours in a juror pool" Since it makes no difference whether you’re on a jury or just in a pool of prospective jurors, what point were you making? According to you, your time is being “wasted” no matter what. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/84 "2016-08-08T18:52:03Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > LOL, because why do you think he’d be exempt from the same responsibilities to jury duty as you? I honestly, truly, really don’t know what you’re on about. Again, all I said is “Have you had it yet?” A)Anything, anything beyond the question right there, is inferred by you, period. B)Not everyone has been summoned. I’m 36 and have been summonsed 3 times, my mom, never. One of my friends had it happen twice, just while we were in college. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/85 "2016-08-08T18:53:17Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Since it makes no difference whether you’re on a jury or just in a pool of prospective jurors, what point were you making? According to you, your time is being “wasted” no matter what. Yup, you’re right, you win, I’m done. You’ve totally made your point, I don’t know what I was thinking. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/86 "2016-08-08T19:02:32Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > So, if your going to mock me because I’m stuck in a jury pool with no escape, I’ll be happy to give you the phone number of this customer and you can explain to him what a fun relaxing time I’m having. Sure. PM me his number. I’ll call him immediately and get this shit straightened out before you are excused for the day. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/87 "2016-08-08T19:09:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Hope you didn’t hurt your brain on that one, I did the math for you upthread, you did, in fact, come to the correct answer. Hey, no need for insults. I’m the one pointing out that people may not understand how your six days of jury service has been such a disruption. And you were not totally clear on what period of time those six days were spaced out over – I assumed 12 years because you made a reference to being called every four years, but most jurisdictions only assure people that they will be called _not more often_ than every “x” years, as opposed to assuring people that they will be called every “x” years. For all I know, you could have been called for six days of service over the past twenty years, which is about a 40% reduction in disruption. I didn’t want to prejudge. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/88 "2016-08-08T19:31:23Z")
I found it troubling that both times I was called up and dismissed at _voir dire_ for what I think (maybe, perhaps, or I’m just delusional – see previous post) was due to having a graduate degree, other folks were kept for duty who were _really_ worried about missing work and pay. Both of my summons were for summer, when I don’t work much (and I made it clear there was no financial or work time burden). The judge made one poor guy who was freaked out about missing work go call his employer to inform he/she that he was selected for duty and the company was obliged to pay him. The guy was an hourly, part-time mechanic at a mom-n-pop garage; who is going to ensure they pay the guy for lost time? The judge? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/89 "2016-08-08T19:50:14Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > The judge made one poor guy who was freaked out about missing work go call his employer to inform he/she that he was selected for duty and the company was obliged to pay him. The guy was an hourly, part-time mechanic at a mom-n-pop garage; who is going to ensure they pay the guy for lost time? The judge? :dubious: Certainly the Judge could do so. Anyone who would make a sitting Judge peeved over $100 is a idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/90 "2016-08-08T19:56:01Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > The judge made one poor guy who was freaked out about missing work go call his employer to inform he/she that he was selected for duty and the company was obliged to pay him. The guy was an hourly, part-time mechanic at a mom-n-pop garage; who is going to ensure they pay the guy for lost time? The judge? :dubious: The judge wouldn’t, but the court system would. The penalties for interference with jury service are significant. And you can never tell what will get you selected. I defend police departments as part of my practice, and I was still empaneled on a criminal case. I was one of the first 12 in the box, too. Oddly enough from the DA’s point of view, I voted for acquittal on all charges save the dead-to-rights one. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/91 "2016-08-08T20:09:18Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > No one cares. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Hope you didn’t hurt your brain on that one, I did the math for you upthread, you did, in fact, come to the correct answer. People are getting a little snippy. These aren’t the only example; everyone needs to lighten up before things get out of hand, please. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/92 "2016-08-08T20:17:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Joey P View Post > FTR, just quickly pulling up this NPR article it appears that each year 32 million people get summoned, 8 million show up and 1.5 million get selected. So…maybe…could we cut how many people we send out summons to by half? How about we lengthen the time between serving? In Milwaukee it’s 4 years, maybe make it 6? On the other hand, sometimes they don’t call in enough jurors. In my last trial, we showed up Monday morning with all our materials, and ready for action. The Judge told us all the jurors were in criminal cases, (which get priority) and we could see who was rejected by those courts. In the afternoon, not enough jurors to begin the process. Same for Tuesday, and Same for Wednesday. It was the following Monday before we had enough to start questioning them, causing huge problems with scheduling witnesses, including thousands of dollars to change dates for doctors and other experts. Most places have streamlined the jury process to avoid unnecessary delays. I’m sure it’s not universal or without room for improvement, but it’s a lot better than it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/93 "2016-08-08T20:18:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Certainly the Judge could do so. Anyone who would make a sitting Judge peeved over $100 is a idiot. Not in most states. Only 5 states require employers to pay for jury time off. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/94 "2016-08-08T20:24:51Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > This is now going to create all types of havoc with my schedule. I buffered all my meetings so I would not have anything critical Friday or Monday in case I was called in, but Tuesday I have a very important meeting coming. What are you bitching about? I got called down to the municipal courts a few months ago, sat around for 4 hours, and they never called ANY jurors at all! We just went down there, sat around, and got let go at lunchtime. Plus, what would you have done, had you actually been picked for the jury and the case would have required you to show up for 4-5 days straight? They can and will require you to do that, and they DGAF about your meetings either. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/95 "2016-08-08T20:40:02Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Not in most states. Only 5 states require employers to pay for jury time off. Are you telling me a sitting Judge could not order an employer to do so? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/96 "2016-08-08T20:44:15Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Are you telling me a sitting Judge could not order an employer to do so? Correct. If the state doesn’t mandate employer paying during jury duty, a judge could not compel it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/97 "2016-08-08T20:54:05Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Correct. If the state doesn’t mandate employer paying during jury duty, a judge could not compel it. Bricker? Any lawyers wont to weigh in on this? Because a sitting judge can order a lot of things. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/98 "2016-08-08T20:56:23Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Bricker? Any lawyers wont to weigh in on this? Because a sitting judge can order a lot of things. 😕 What am I, Chopped liver? A judge can certainly order “a lot of things.” There has to be a legal basis for each of them, however If an employer has no legal duty to pay wages to a person not a work due to jury service, then a judge would be exceeding his/her authority to order that. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/99 "2016-08-08T21:03:45Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > What am I, Chopped liver? > > A judge can certainly order “a lot of things.” There has to be a legal basis for each of them, however If an employer has no legal duty to pay wages to a person not a work due to jury service, then a judge would be exceeding his/her authority to order that. They can most certainly have you rmanager arrested if they penalize you or fire you for attending jury duty instead of work. (about one page down) > **[Taking Time Off for Jury Duty](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/taking-time-off-jury-duty.html)** > > State laws require employers to give employees time off to serve on a jury. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/100 "2016-08-08T21:06:21Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > What am I, Chopped liver? > > A judge can certainly order “a lot of things.” There has to be a legal basis for each of them, however If an employer has no legal duty to pay wages to a person not a work due to jury service, then a judge would be exceeding his/her authority to order that. > **[U.S. News: Latest Breaking Stories, Video, and Photos on American Politics,...](https://www.nbcnews.com/us-news?lite)** > > Get the latest news headlines and top stories from NBCNews.com. Find videos and news articles on the latest stories in the US. [http://www.crschools.net/blog/14-weird-and-unusual-criminal-sentences/](http://www.crschools.net/blog/14-weird-and-unusual-criminal-sentences/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757.md?page=6)