Recently I got myself out of jury duty. On the little form they send under “Physical or mental disabilities that might prevent you from serving” I wrote that I was paranoid schizophrenic an that my medication–lithium and paxil–made me too drowsy to serve and that I had outbursts and nervous ticks (I was also toying with voices in my head, but decided it would be overkill).
Anyway, it worked. Not only haven’t I heard back from them I suspect I might not even get a census taker at my door.
So, whats your story?
(And no, I’m not REALLY schizophrenic. Dammit, quit sniggering Orangecakes, I’m am NOT!).
This method only works if you don’t mind showing up the first day:
When the second counsel comes into the room, stand up, smile and wave. “Good luck on this one, old chum!”
You’ll probably get kicked off the jury.
Another way to do it, would be to write that you were perfectly fit to serve on a jury, and were in fact eager to do so, since you are certain that the accused is always guilty, and want to hang as many of them as possible in as short a time as possible.
I don’t want to make people think like me, I want them to think like me of their own free will.
Well, I’ve always wanted to be on a jury and see the legal system at first hand.
The last time I received a jury summons, I already had plane tickets for my summer vacation. I was bummed to the max too, because my previous company paid for jury duty, your full salary, with no time limit, and I had the chance to be on a three-week trial, so it must have been something important. The judge took my word for it (the fact that I already had plane tickets). I said “I’ll be willing to come back next month” and he said OK. Haven’t heard anything since.
Previous experience: One month I received a jury summons, threw it on the old pile of unpaid bills, and forgot about it. A couple of months later, I remembered “s***! tomorrow is the first day of my jury duty month!” So I called in to the clerk’s office to find out when I was supposed to show up. She said “I don’t see you listed as having to report for jury duty.”
Quand les talons claquent, l’esprit se vide.
Maréchal Lyautey
Luckily, the only time I have ever been asked to serve on a jury I had moved out of town.
I hadn’t changed my drivers license to reflect the new address after about 30 days. I called the city I was 'sposed to serve in and the lady gave me a tongue lashing over not changing my address…well sheesh, if I am correct, you have 30 days from the date you move to update your address (I could be wrong, but they do that with out of towners and car license plates.)
Well, that’s one way, simply move or tell them you are moving.
You really shouldn’t do this sort of thing guys. . .
That said, I’ve never served on a jury because they’ve always cancelled the trial. Well, okay, one time it was scheduled during finals week at college and I got out of it that way, but. . .
– Sylence
I don’t have an evil side. Just a really, really apathetic one.
BTW, I should add to this story, in case it isn’t clear, that there is a form you need to send back to the county clerk. I never sent it back because I forgot to. I suspect that’s the reason why I wasn’t listed for jury duty when I called.
In California, they only give you ten days. Yes, that’s it, ladies and gentlemen, TEN days. As if, when you’re in the midst of packing, moving, cleaning the old place, cleaning the new place, arranging to move your phone number to the new location (or get a new one altogether), new TV cable account, new PG&E billing, switching your newspaper subscription, unpacking, trying to learn the streets in your new 'hood, etc., you’ve got the time to deal with this minor (ticketable) “offense.”
StoryTyler Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. C’mon up and see me sometime.
I don’t really do this sort of thing; as a paralegal I jump at any chance to get experience dealing with lawyers and court procedure. One time, though, I got a call from the courthouse in Long Beach, CA (I live in Gardena); I answered the wrong question about which group I was in and wound up getting on ONE jury pool. By the end of the 2 weeks I apologized to the jury office for the misunderstanding. (I WAS on a jury in Los Angeles 2 years ago; a criminal trial; we rendered a guilty verdict against a man caught in a drug sting.)
My former stepfather apparently lied on his jury form; apparently he preferred to spend his days off drinking–but then, who would want someone like THAT on a jury?
The form I recieved said it was illegal not to return the form. At the time I was on some medicine that was really screwing me up.
I crumpled the form until half the copy toner was flaking off. Filled in the information with a crayon real big. It asked for the distance to the court house from my house. I said I had no fucking idea where the court house was.
Comments area: I have to take my medication when it’s due reguardless of whatever else is goin on.
I sealed the envelope with a very strong glue, and sent it in. I didn’t falsify any information, and sent back the form that said I had to legally return it.
I haven’t been asked to serve in the last three years.
I only took that drug for about two more weeks before I hated everyone I saw, just because they were there. I quit taken this by myself before I did something bad to someone. Told the doctor time for something different. It’s on the list of drugs the doctors should never give me again.
I’m not psycotic, it was just the medicine. We were trying to control my Sydenhams Chorea, and basicaly all the drugs are psyco-reactive. Think of Torretes and you have my symptoms.
I didn’t realise this thread was going to Baruit. Hijack.
Today was my tenth day of jury service, and now I’m free for another year.
They always throw me off panels. I always get called, because my company pays unlimited days, and I always get kicked off. Sometimes it’s because I know the lawyer, or the judge. This last time I was sent to criminal courtrooms, and thought I had a chance. Indeed, the prosecution was willing to accept me, but the defense dinged me (wonder what THAT says!). I’d love to serve on a jury and find out what goes on inside the jury room first hand.
That being said, most judges will excuse you if you have pre-paid, non-refundable travel plans. But they better have been in existence BEFORE you got that jury summons. And often all that will get you is re-scheduled.
Interestingly, this time – and maybe because it was my first time in criminal courtrooms – the judge advised us at the beginning that we were bound to follow the instructions given by her on the law, whether we agreed with the law or not, and asked if we had any problems with that. I wasn’t on the panel that had to respond to that at the time, but clearly the question was addressed to jury nullification. That got me thinking. I have a basic philosophy about following rules and laws: You follow them until there is a reason not to follow them. When there comes a reason not to follow them, you must determine the reason for the rule, and then consider whether the reason for following the rule is stronger than the reason for not following the rule. Then you must make a mature decision of conscience as to whether or not to follow the rule. Thus, for example, I gotta believe that I would not convict someone of a crime for stealing to feed their child.
This type of explanation would likely get me kicked off of any other jury panel, this time by the prosecution.
::sigh:: I guess I’m doomed to always be arguing in front of a jury rather than as part of it.
I’m 29 years old, and have never been called for jury duty, ever. My license has my current address and my voter’s registration has the correct address, and yet nothing. I don’t have any kind of criminal or mental history either, so I’ll be damned as to why I never get called.
Oh wait, why am I bitching. This is a good thing…right?
Shadowfox – Yeah, I didn’t get called until I was 27 and I was totally shocked by it, lol. Jury duty? That’s a real thing? I thought it was just on TV! My story is sorta funny, I went in on the day I was assigned and a lady told the big group of us a little bit about the process and how names are chosen and how we’d be called when our cases came up, etc. Then she told us where the snacks were and said something like “Now you wait. Hope you brought a book!” (Ha, ha.) Well we wait and the first group is called out and they get directions where to go. About an hour later another group is called and they get sent somewhere. Another hour or so later she starts listing off more names and I hear my name called, so I get my stuff together and get a piece of paper to write down my room number and judge. The lady says: “You are free to go. You have no further obligations and you do not need to call in tomorrow.” We all filed out somberly as she was giving the group that was left instructions to their courtroom. We silently piled into the elevator and the minute the doors shut we all started laughing and whooping like it was the last day of school! One guy said “I’ve never been so glad to NOT be picked for something!” A truly surreal experience!
This may technically be true, Tyler, but in my experience, they’re pretty forgiving. I was called for jury duty in Santa Cruz (where I go to school and am a registered voter) during the summer, when I was living with my parents at home (about 100 miles away). By the time the notice was forwarded to me, I was already too late to “officially” bow out, but I called and explained my situation, and they were very nice and called me to jury duty about two weeks after I got back to school, which I ended up not serving because my number never came up.
My housemate told me that her father always got out of jury duty by telling them that he was against the death penalty and would never consider it under any circumstances.
~Kyla
“You couldn’t fool your mother on the foolingest day of your life if you had an electrified fooling machine.”
I’ve been called and served both times for jury duty. Being a conscientious dweeb, I pled real problems (i.e. showing up to defend the upcoming FY budget while sequestered.)
It cut no ice, folks. Talk about double edged swords. In the challenges, both attorneys said (quote) that librarians are fair and careful people. (Did they call NO librarians at the OJ trial?!)
Gotta say it was a migraine inducing drag. The bailiff could have passed for Ilsa the Concentration Camp Guard and we were shoved around like cattle. We even got the verbal equivalent of the “dip tank” somewhere in the chutes.
But gritching aside, it’s a civic duty. Court groupies that thrive on this shit have to be deeply, certifiably sick. But most of the my fellow jurors were honest, concerned folks and I guess it’s better most other systems.
Anyway, (blush) yeah I tried/hoped to “get off” but all in all, I’m glad I served.
One time, though, I got a call from the courthouse in Long Beach, CA (I live in Gardena); I answered the wrong question about which group I was in and wound up getting on ONE jury pool. By the end of the 2 weeks I apologized to the jury office for the misunderstanding. (I WAS on a jury in Los Angeles 2 years ago; a criminal trial; we rendered a guilty verdict against a man caught in a drug sting.)