Mathemetician here and the one time I was called up for jury duty this didn’t get me out of it. 
Most boring week of my life…2 insurance companies battling it out over a case that was OBVIOUSLY in one insurance company’s favor…and kept going on and on and on. We talked for 45 minutes at the end and the only reason it took that long is a couple people felt wrong about spending all week on a case and then deliberating only 5 minutes 
That sounds like the jury I sat on, BD.
I’ve had jury duty twice - once I never got called in for voir dire. But the first time I did twice. Once the case was dismissed or settled before questioning finished. Once I was excused. It was a lawsuit where a woman was suing a man for giving her herpes. She was white, he was black. I was white, single, young. They asked me two questions. Had I dated outside my race (yes) and if I believed that it was ok to sue someone for giving you a cold (what kind of apples and oranges question is that?) I was released. I’m guessing it was that second answer. I would have liked to serve, but unfortunately, couldn’t stop my mouth from saying that.
ralph124c:
At least some jurisdictions are trying to make things better. When I went for my most recent jury duty call (Queens, NY), the room had TVs on the wall, wireless internet (I brought my laptop), and a selection of magazines (can’t say how interesting or current they were, since I had my laptop to amuse me).
(BTW, I got selected for a jury, but the lawyers settled the case before opening the trial, so I didn’t have to do anything.)
I was not picked the one time I was summoned. As the dismissed folks were leaving the courtroom, I was the last to leave. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the folks who got picked and each one was giving me a look like the last puppy in the pound.
I once prevented a person from being selected for a jury. I was present at jury selection, and later at the trial, of a very good friend of mine. It was a very serious charge.
During a recess I heard a potential juror whine “why don’t we just hang him(my friend) and get this over with? I don’t want to stay here!” So I spoke quietly with the defense lawyer and pointed out the person whom he might not want to see seated. "
My friend got lucky with probation, thank God.
I’d be glad to sit on a jury. If we had professional juries, I’d probably be a pro juror (or try to be). But I’ve never even been called for one. I did help a friend that wanted out when his mail-in questionaire arrived, though. For hobbies, I listed that he ‘laid around all day, watching Judge Judy and Law and Order SVU reruns.’ They didn’t call him to come in. Either he said the right thing, or else they weren’t that busy.
Funny thing is, I’ve found, in discussing jury duty with various people, that they don’t necessarily mind going through the motions of service, but what they object to is the actual fact that they will be responsible for judging someone, or impacting their life; as in causing someone to serve 20 years in the pen. They just don’t want that responsibility. Sort of like the firing squad deal, where some rifles are loaded with blanks, and others not.
In my singular experience, answering the question “Do you feel, as a juror, that you can ever know EXACTLY what went on, based just on what you hear on the stand?” with “Of course not. Each person involved will have a different point of view; the only one with an omniscent view is gonna be God,” will get you a weird look and an immediate dismissal.
Double points if you’re atheist. 
I’m surprised they didn’t ask the jurors if they were familiar with the person on trial. :eek:
In my jurisdiction, you would not be on the jury, but you’d get to wear some shiny bracelets and have a free prostate exam before cooling your heels in a cell for a few days.
I think you are misreading that. Baker was in the audience observing the process of her friends trial and over heard a juror say that during recess.
So you convicted him on appearance, the evidence be damned.
I have been on several jury selections and have served 2 weeks on a jury during a criminal trial. I just read several of posts on here and I don’t know about all states but the state I live in doesn’t just “dismiss” people not responding to their summons (throwing them away etc.) They take it very serious and hand out fines and jail time. Also, they specifically give instructions for potential jurors not to wear anything with writing on it, to identify yourself as a science buff etc.
About 1999, I was called for jury duty in Las Vegas. It was for the trial of a cop who beat up a suspect in a casino holding room. I gather the cop didn’t realize there was a security camera in the room, but there was supposedly a video-tape of him beating the snot out of this suspect.
While walking through a hallway, the arrested cop and his attorney were about fifteen feet from me. The attorney mumbled something to the cop, he took one look at me, and put on the “scary face” which is something cops, convicts and bikers do to intimidate you. Then, he shouted to his attorney “Get him outta here! I don’t want him on my jury! Get him outta here!”
I was wearing an old denim shirt, old jeans, combat boots, wallet chained to my belt, my hair was very long and unkempt, I had a beard, and was generally unshaven where the beard was trimmed. I wore a grim frown and tended to look up from under glowering brows, a generally sullen appearance. By the way, this is how I usually look if I’m not at a gig.
I was excused.
My advice is to get as unshaven and unshowered as possible. Wear white-trash My-Name-is-Earl clothes … a dirty T-shirt, old plaid shirt, engineer boots. Go shopping at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. If you look like you’re a drunken anti-social loser who listens to Southern Rock and probably uses meth, I’ll bet they excuse you. It’s worth a try.
About 1999, I was called for jury duty in Las Vegas. It was for the trial of a cop who beat up a suspect in a casino holding room. I gather the cop didn’t realize there was a security camera in the room, but there was supposedly a video-tape of him beating the snot out of this suspect.
While walking through a hallway, the arrested cop and his attorney were about fifteen feet from me. The attorney mumbled something to the cop, he took one look at me, and put on the “scary face” which is something cops, convicts and bikers do to intimidate you. Then, he shouted to his attorney “Get him outta here! I don’t want him on my jury! Get him outta here!”
I was wearing an old denim shirt, old jeans, combat boots, wallet chained to my belt, my hair was very long and unkempt, I had a beard, and was generally unshaven where the beard was trimmed. I wore a grim frown and tended to look up from under glowering brows, a generally sullen appearance. By the way, this is how I usually look if I’m not at a gig.
I was excused.
My advice is to get as unshaven and unshowered as possible. Wear white-trash My-Name-is-Earl clothes … a dirty T-shirt, old plaid shirt, engineer boots. Go shopping at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. If you look like you’re a drunken anti-social loser who listens to Southern Rock and probably uses meth, I’ll bet they excuse you. It’s worth a try.
I always show up but I know plenty of people who throw their summons in the trash. There simply aren’t the resources to go after people for that reason and then somehow figure out that it’s not just an honest mistake. They get enough people to show up to fill juries so there’s no reason to bother especially when there are actual dangerous criminals out there. Do you have any proof that they’re rounding up people who toss their summonses other than the scare text on the summons itself?
I’ve only been called once and was unanimously dismissed very shortly into voir dire. So my advice is to have something of an emotional breakdown on the stand and claim prior victimization in a similar crime (assuming you’re called for a criminal case).
In my case it was totally true and I was way disappointed; I actually think it would be very interesting to serve on a jury and wasn’t at all looking to get out of it. I couldn’t help the type of case I was called for though. 
I read these jury duty threads avidly. I do have a question, however. Is it true that if you serve on a jury once, it’s more likely that you will be called for jury duty more often afterwards; due to the court officers believing that you’re a sure thing and they don’t have to make an effort to make different people show up?
No.
To elaborate, here in NJ anyway, once you have answered the jury duty call, even if you never actually served a single day, you are exempt for at least three years.