My wife seems to get a summons once every one to two years, no matter what county she has lived in. I don’t think she’s ever actually served on a jury, however.
I’ve only received one summons in 18 years, and was selected to the jury… I got to be foreman (was that the term?), too!
would you be able to serve, considering your current position?
IIRC, he can serve on a Federal jury but not on a jury in a state court. Of course, he’d certainly be recused anyway.
Not so fast. Ohio has eliminated virtually all occupational exemptions for jury service. I have a judge friend who served as a juror in a trial in the very court on which he was then serving (there are 34 judges of that court, so he wasn’t in his own courtroom). He’s a notorious/celebrated liberal but served as foreman and led the jury to a conviction in a drug case. The prosecutor who left him on the jury certainly was entitled to a sigh of relief afterwards! So yes, I could quite possibly serve on a jury, if they ever call me.
I’ve been called for jury service every year like clockwork since I’ve turned eighteen. I served on one month-long civil case when I was twenty. Since I’ve started full-time work, they still call me every year, but I never get picked for jury selection since I am not paid for service. I just sit in the room the whole day, sigh.
At least it’s my yearly opportunity to explore the interesting Downtown lunch options.
Learn something new every day. A judge serving on a jury? pops my circuits. Up here in Canada, lawyers and judges can’t serve on juries, because of the concern that they would be too influential by virtue of their knowledge of the law and legal system.
And a judge serving on a jury in his own court? bizarre.
It’s certainly unusual, and the jury is instructed not to permit that individual to unduly influence its deliberations (as it is instructed if a garden-variety lawyer ends up on a jury), and the trial judge will often press the prospective judge-juror on that point to be sure that he or she will deliberate in good faith, but it can happen.
Yep, things vary greatly from state to state. For instance not only has New Jersey eliminated most exemptions (not sure about judges), they have also greatly expanded the jury pool. You can’t get out of it by not voting or registering:
*Under the 1995 law, if you have a driver’s license; are a registered voter; have applied for the homestead tax rebate, or have filed a state income tax return, your name is in the jury pool. Nearly all employment exemptions have been eliminated, including legislators, doctors, hospital workers, police and others. In 1997, the legislature revised the statutory juror qualifications to disqualify from jury service those individuals convicted of an indictable offense. *
In practice it is unlikely for someone in law enforcement to be seated for a criminal case. I can see it happening for a civil case. I received notice for the county grand jury. It meets once a week for several months. When I sent back the notice with my occupation on it I got a call back from the clerk telling me they were taking me off the list. Partially professional courtesy, mostly because I would probably have to recuse myself on many cases. Instead I was put on the petit jury list. My number didn’t come up so I didn’t have to report.
I am 42 and have never been called for jury duty…I think they know I REALLY want to be called because everyone I know who has been called has gotten out of it!
Oneday I hope to get a turn!
I can’t remember how many times I have been called. Most happened during my early twenties. My parents sent back the notices telling them that I was first away at college and then in the active duty Army. for the last 15 years or so I think I have been received two notices. Here you have to call the night before to see if you have to show up at all. I have not been asked to come in.
A college friend of mine who’s a satellite photoanalyst for a certain secretive three-initaled agency was called to jury service in Washington D.C. awhile back. He ended up serving on a criminal jury with a retired FBI agent and an active-duty Treasury agent!