# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/121 "2016-08-09T22:07:24Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I think a smaller juror pool, and higher pay, would be the solution. Jurors really should be paid around $100/day at the least; being paid $28 per day or something is quite pitiful. How would you shrink the juror pool? Make it so poor people don’t serve on juries? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/122 "2016-08-09T22:09:23Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > Sure, it’s a game of chicken. Of course, I get that. But if there was a rule that said that if a plea bargain wasn’t reached by 24 hours before the scheduled start of a trial, the trial would be required to take place, it would still be a game of chicken. Do you not understand this? So in your perfect world we should tie up the court system with people who have already resolved their issues in order to make jurors feel that they are doing something? ---
**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 9, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/123 "2016-08-09T22:19:35Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > If the trial on a civil case starts and is settled before the jury turns in their verdict, are court costs assessed? In civil cases, the parties pay for everything, including daily jury fees and even for the official court reporter. So yes. At least they did in my county. I suspect they do in most if not all of them. Taking civil cases through a full trial is very expensive. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/124 "2016-08-09T23:29:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > When I was a juror, one of the other jurors was late coming back from a break because she had to feed the parking meter. The bailiff told us that it was important we be on time, so if any of us were parked at a metered spot, we shouldn’t worry about needing to feed the meter during the day and he would “take care” of any tickets we received. (Although most of us were parked in the free jury-only lot.) When I had jury duty were just given placards that exempted us from the meters; there was no parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/125 "2016-08-10T12:39:57Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > In civil cases, the parties pay for everything, including daily jury fees and even for the official court reporter. So yes. At least they did in my county. I suspect they do in most if not all of them. > > Taking civil cases through a full trial is very expensive. Adding that yes, jury fees are paid by both parties in civil cases for every day the jury is present. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/126 "2016-08-11T08:53:59Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Our bench had an informal policy during voir dire to jot down the names of companies that didn’t pay their employees for even a single day of jury duty. In their rare down time, the judges would then contact those company owners and attempt to persuade them to pay their employees for at least 3 days of jury service. The approach was surprisingly effective. Whoever that Judge is, should get a medal. I have a feeling a phone call from a Justice “asking” an employer to pay the Juror and reminding the employer of their employee’s civic duty would be a rather short phone call!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/127 "2016-08-11T09:06:21Z")
> [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](#): > > It’s about the parties, who work through the attorneys. The paramount concern of the court system is fairness to the parties, not convenience of the jurors. To the extent that the latter can be accommodated, it is- but never to the detriment of the former. > > Part of your service is your existence as an incentive to settle. Part of your service is your presence. We are not wasting your time. Our use of your time, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves judicial resources and makes the process more efficient. **“Our use of your time”** I rest my case a second time. This is what is wrong with government: judges and court officials who keep forgetting, due to entitlement, that they work for US, the people, and WE pay THEIR salaries. YOU are on OUR time, not yours, lets not make no mistake. . . . . . Anyway, my Jury Duty drama as described in the OP is over, Id like to wait until the trial I was considered for is over to share more details, if that is OK-------- ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/128 "2016-08-11T09:11:19Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Based on my vast experience of watching courtroom dramas on television, it’s not that the attorney underestimates how serious opposing counsel is, but rather that the attorney (and his client; remember that ultimately that’s where the decision lies) may change their opinion as to whether a favorable outcome is more or less likely once the’ve seen the case presented by opposing counsel. I recently watched a travel documentary where they were talking about a certain monastery which had acted as the local Court of Law for several centuries. A bridge nearby is known as _el puente del perdón_ because it’s the point in the road from which you can first see the monastery, and when prisoners got there they’d start crying out “_¡perdón, perdón!_” - “I’m sorry, forgive me!” It’s not as if they hadn’t previously noticed they’d been grabbed, called some names related to whatever they were accused of doing, tied up and put in a cart, but seeing the monastery is what made it real. (And no, it wasn’t for the Inquisition) ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/129 "2016-08-11T13:46:01Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > **“Our use of your time”** > > I rest my case a second time. This is what is wrong with government: judges and court officials who keep forgetting, due to entitlement, that they work for US, the people, and WE pay THEIR salaries. YOU are on OUR time, not yours, lets not make no mistake. The people actually using your time, though, are the plaintiffs and prosecutors and defendants, plus their associated lawyers. No, you DON’T pay the salary for most of these. How would you feel if you or a close family member/friend were a criminal defendant, and your or their freedom depended mainly on the _convenience_ of the jury? How would you feel if you were the victim of a fraud, a tort, or a crime, and obtaining justice or restitution depended on whether it was _convenient_ for the members of the jury? This is what is wrong: the overweening sense of entitlement among people who think their time is so much more valuable than justice. ---
**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 11, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/130 "2016-08-11T14:18:10Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > **“Our use of your time”** > > I rest my case a second time. This is what is wrong with government: judges and court officials who keep forgetting, due to entitlement, that they work for US, the people, and WE pay THEIR salaries. YOU are on OUR time …no. Jury DUTY demands that you become part of the court system. You are on the court’s time. How do you not understand this? I’m seriously asking- what makes you think that the parties to the lawsuit and the court are subservient to you? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/131 "2016-08-11T15:23:45Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You can usually volunteer. Please provide a list of states that allow you to volunteer for jury duty. it is expressly not permitted in federal courts, to wit: _“While the federal courts appreciate your willingness in participating in jury service, you cannot volunteer to serve. Each judicial district must randomly select potential jurors from a fair cross-section of the community in the district, and discrimination in the selection process is prohibited”_ ---
**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 11, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/132 "2016-08-11T15:30:08Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Adding that yes, jury fees are paid by both parties in civil cases for every day the jury is present. Just chiming in to add that this varies from state to state. In some cases, the party demanding a jury pays a small fee for a “jury demand,” ($250 in Washington, if I recall correctly) but doesn’t pay any jury fees after that. Payment of the court reporter also varies by location. It may be interesting to note that in Seattle, (and I assume other places) it is the defendant in civil cases that most often demands a jury. You hear corporations complain about jury verdicts when they get hit, but they are often the party that wanted a jury in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/133 "2016-08-11T19:20:11Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Please provide a list of states that allow you to volunteer for jury duty. Look it up yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/134 "2016-08-11T19:48:39Z")
Isn’t it the responsibility of the person making an assertion (e.g., “You can usually volunteer for jury duty”) to back up such an assertion? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/135 "2016-08-11T19:52:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Look it up yourself. I tried, and I could find a single state (New York) that permitted volunteers; some have statutory restrictions that would prohibit volunteers. The general school of thought seems to be that anybody who genuinely WANTS to be on a jury has some motive that may not be in the best interests of justice. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/136 "2016-08-11T19:52:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Isn’t it the responsibility of the person making an assertion (e.g., “You can usually volunteer for jury duty”) to back up such an assertion? [http://www.lacourt.org/division/jury/JR0223.aspx](http://www.lacourt.org/division/jury/JR0223.aspx) \*Civil Grand Jurors are not summoned, but may volunteer by completing an application form. \* Once you serve on the Civil Grand Jury you are exempt for years from regular Jury duty, and in fact long after that the judge will be sympathetic to pleas for getting out a regular jury. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/137 "2016-08-11T19:57:29Z")
Congratulations. So in one county in one state, you can volunteer for the civil grand jury. And **slash2k** found on his/her own that it’s possible to volunteer in the State of New York. That’s a long way from “You can usually volunteer”. And why are you being so combative? “Look it up yourself.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/138 "2016-08-11T20:19:30Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Congratulations. So in one county in one state, you can volunteer for the civil grand jury. And **slash2k** found on his/her own that it’s possible to volunteer in the State of New York. That’s a long way from “You can usually volunteer”. And why are you being so combative? “Look it up yourself.” You can volunteer for the GJ in all of CA. The most populous state. And New York, the 4th most populous state. And in Texas:_In fact, the jury commissioners are permitted to select volunteers for grand jury service, again, regardless of their relationship to the commissioners_ [https://www.hccla.org/grand-jury/](https://www.hccla.org/grand-jury/) The Second most populous state. So, in the three of the most populous states you can volunteer (and you sorta can in Florida, it’s complicated). I am not going to run down the other 46, you can do that yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/139 "2016-08-11T20:29:19Z")
Again; why the hostility? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757/140 "2016-08-11T20:33:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Again; why the hostility? Originally Posted by \*\*August West \*\* _Please provide a list of states that allow you to volunteer for jury duty._ Going thru 50 states and thousands of counties is a unreasonable and hostile demand. Thus, a hostile response. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jury-duty-selection-is-it-really-fair-for-a-court-to-do-this/761757.md?page=8)