Glad that I didn't succeed in getting out of jury duty

[K8-EEE]

WHY was I dreading this so much? I met 13 new friends (12 on the jury and 2 alternates including me) and if I ever am involved in a trial I would love to have the jury I was just part of, whether I was the plaintiff or the defendant.

Everybody really tried hard to hash out every single point to make sure the damages awarded were fair, but not excessive. Everybody listened to each other respectfully; nobody was dominating the conversation. People made excellent points that I hadn't thought of on my own. Someone corrected a false impression about something I misunderstood. We all were really trying to be fair and disregard our personal opinions of the people involved, and just focus on the facts as presented and how the law applied to the situation.

All around, it was a great experience. So not to sound corny but Justice itself depends on citizens doing their jury service, so if you can do it without a lot of hardship, DO IT!

[SheilaT]

1. I have only gotten the call to jury duty once

so far in my lifetime, and I'm 63 and I'm always registered to vote and have a drivers license so you think they'd have found me more than once.

I am highly distressed that most people do everything possible to get out of it. NO, no, no. This is all a part of being a citizen. Several years back I heard a piece on NPR about jury duty, and if I recall correctly, in England they've gone to a system where the first twelve qualified people in the pool are the jury. Almost no getting out for any reason. The lawyers, according to the story, are quite happy about it. In the same story, if memory serves, some one of our states has gone to a system whereby you can postpone a time or two, because the courts do understand that it's not always immediately convenient for everyone, but after one or two postponements, that's it. You're called up.

My own experience was this: I sat all day through the voir dire as the jury was selected, learning a fair amount about the case in the process. Late in the afternoon when they were finally getting to the alternates, I was finally called and I had to tell them that we were leaving in two days for an out of town trip, airplane tickets already purchased, and I was dismissed. In this case an insurance company was accusing a woman of fraud in claiming that her car was stolen and burned. Insurance company said she'd done it for the money. About two years later there were several follow-up articles in the paper in which on appeal the case was totally dismissed and I think the woman might have even been awarded damages, because the judge said the insurance company should never have brought suit against her.

Please let us know as much as you can how your case turns out.

Oh, and I have a sister who lives in the District of Columbia, and she winds up on jury duty a couple of times a year because there are so many courts there.

[K8-EEE]

7. We just finished

Basically everyone agreed that the person did have SOME real damages but was requesting an inflated amount based on some flimsy evidence, so it was just a question of hashing out every individual thing he claimed and adjusting it depending on the evidence the provided. He got about 1/5 what he asked for. I really think everyone was trying to be very fair to both parties and follow the judge's guidelines on what the burden of proof was for each thing.

It was nice that nobody just said "oh lets just say X and we can all go home." I mean not one person, everybody wanted to really get it right, it was very affirming!

[uncle ray]

2. so you tried to get out?

i just completed two weeks of jury duty today. i actually was looking forward to it. unfortunately several of my fellow jurors were sure of the mans guilt before the trial started. he admitted some guilt, but a few jurors could not look past that and actually examine the facts to determine exactly how guilty he was. they wanted to find him guilty of all 72 counts without any debate. after all was said and done, the judge actually commended us on being deadlocked on a few charges, as there simply wasn't the evidence. overall, it was a great experience, even though the case was quite an emotional one. as you said, if you can afford it, do it. the lesson is well worth the lost income.

[Major Nikon]

5. Fortunately I don't lose income from jury duty

I was on a capital murder trial once as an alternate, but the defendant made a plea deal right after opening statements.

[uncle ray]

11. my state requires your employer to pay you at least $50 a day for the first three days.

most employers pay your full wage, mine did. the state then pays $50 a day for the remaining days, so it isn't too bad of a hit for many.

during jury selection, several eliminated jurors said they'd rather decide a murder case than this one.

[K8-EEE]

8. Not so much trying to get excused but HOPING I wouldn't be picked

Other times I have shown up and been dismissed and been like WOOOHOO! They never know how many will show up so they tend to "overbook" and send half the people home.

[coalition_unwilling]

20. I hate to be a fly in the ointment here, but if several of your fellow

jurors "were sure of the mans (sic) guilt before the trial started," then you and they were parties to a miscarriage of justice. The presumption of innocence is supposed to remain intact until after all evidence and closing arguments have been presented and deliberations begun.

You might want to contact the judge in the case to convey your concerns.

[uncle ray]

26. we were told he was guilty of some charges, we had to determine just how guilty he was.

no, all the members were not as impartial as you and i would hope, but it didn't really matter in this case. the fool made a taped confession to police on over half of the charges and had photographic proof to back it up. the remaining jury members who did and could hear the case without prejudice were sufficient. if it had been an issue, something would have been done about the situation. as it stands, the jury was hung on several charges and they were subsequently dropped by the DA. the charges the man admitted to were plenty to put him away much longer than he can ever hope to live.

besides, had these fellow jurors who prejudged the defendant been excused, then they would have been able to miss the lectures they received from the rest of us on how the system works. i was certainly not afraid to point out that, guilty or not, the prosecution must do their job.

[K8-EEE]

37. We had a similar thing, the guy admitted negligent driving but

not the amount of damages the plaintiff was claiming.

[SheilaT]

40. No. I wanted to serve. The trial was expected to take about

three days, and I already had plane tickets to another city on what would be the second day. Bad timing on the part of the court, because it's not as though I travel all that frequently.

It bothered me a lot that the judge was willing to dismiss a middle aged man who had some kind of small business, but not the mother of three pre-school children that she'd have to pay about fifty dollars a day for the baby-sitting, significantly more than the jury pay.

I cannot get over the fact that in forty some years I've only gotten a notice of jury duty once, and that one time I wasn't able to do it.

What was good about that jurisdiction (Johnson County, KS) was that it's one day/one trial. Some jurisdictions call jurors to sit around for days waiting to see if they'll be picked for a trial.

[elleng]

3. Glad to hear of your experience; mine one of the best in my life.

[ashling]

4. I will be on jury duty in a couple of weeks

I have been on jury pools 3 times, but never got picked for a jury -

wait, I did get picked once for a murder trial, but as soon as the jury walked the defendant changed his plea to guilty,

[Silver Swan]

6. I was only called once.

but because I do not drive, getting to jury duty safely, or at least without worry, can be an issue.

I was called to the courthouse at 26th and California in Chicago. This is next to the Cook County Jail. My brother-in-law, who was a Chicago cop at the time, told me not to take public transportation because all the alleged criminals coming for court dates would be on the buses.

So I took a cab from the downtown train station near where I worked. This was expensive so at the end of the day, I checked the bus stop, and no scary people seemed to be waiting, so I took the bus back to the Loop, and the commuter train stations. The bus ride was fine, but the driver kept eyeing me suspiciously in the rear view mirror, like he thought he had picked up a dangerous felon.

Looking back, that was relatively easy. Some other Cook County Court houses were also difficult to get to without a car, but thank goodness, I never had to go to jury duty in Cook County again.

(I'm just pointing out that jury duty can pose barriers in addition to missing work.)

[K8-EEE]

12. Here in L.A. they give you a Metro card which is an awesome perk

I had to report downtown, you can either get reimbursed for mileage or sign up for a temporary TAP card, on which you can ride all metro trains and buses free for every week you are on the trial. The red line (L.A.'s valley-hollywood-downtown subway) stops across the street from the courthouse - very EZ! SOOOO much better than dealing with rush hour downtown traffic & parking!

[Pithlet]

9. I had the same experience.

I wish I could do it again. It can be stressful. Mine was only a civil matter, and I'd still stress about it at times. But my experience was very much like yours. I actually looked forward to going most days.

[K8-EEE]

10. I have to say my NOOK was my best friend during this

The only part I DON'T like is the waiting around during sidebar and jury selection etc., the "come back in an hour" and that kind of thing -- I ended up reading about 3 novels during the down time (and on the subway there!) So if you do get called bring LOTS TO READ, is my advice :)

[SheilaT]

41. I always have at least one book and sometimes two or

three in my purse at all times. You never know when you're going to be stuck somewhere, and having reading material is a good idea.

If I were ever to be on a jury I'd really want to be able to crochet during everything, which I'm quite certain wouldn't be allowed. When I am crocheting and listening to stuff, I actually remember more than if I'm just sitting there listening. I think it's because some auto-function part of my mind is already occuppied, and so the other, slightly more intellectual part, is free to pay good attention. Unfortunately, I doubt if any judge or even the attorneys would understand. Sigh.

[DrunkenBoat]

13. I had the same experience doing jury duty. Enjoyed it, my fellow jurors were thoughtful

& brought a good mix of backgrounds & views; worked well together & brought what i thought was a fair verdict. It was an experience that made me feel very positively about democracy.

[pennylane100]

14. I was on jury duty in a federal trial a few years ago.

The place had signs up all over telling people to make sure they turned off their cell phones before entering the courtroom. On the second or third day of the trial, I heard this ringing sound coming from my purse. I was so embarrassed, I could not believe I had forgot to turn it off, however the judge was a very nice man and never mentioned it. I think he felt sorry for me as I frantically reached for it to turn it off. I left it in my car for the rest of the trial.

[K8-EEE]

17. YES! Every time you walk into court the assistant says

MAKE SURE YOUR CELL PHONES ARE TURNED COMPLETELY OFF OR THEY WILL BE TAKEN AND NOT RETURNED. They were very hardass about it but at least they gave constant reminders!

[JamesJ]

49. Yes, cell phones.

During the murder trial that I was a jury member a point of fact came up among the judge and the lawyers. On of them mentioned that the lawyer who was involved in that point happened to be in the court house on another case.

The judge sent his bailiff out to the hallway to see if he could find her. She came in, with coat in hand (she was on her way out of the building), and, while answering the judge's questions, her cell phone started beeping.

It was like the temperature in the room dropped 30 degrees! I guess this judge was famous among the lawyers for not tolerating cell phones in his court room. The defending and prosecuting attorneys looked at each other with eyes wide open, like little kids standing in front of the principal!

The lawyer turned off her cell phone but when she looked up and saw the expression on the judge's face knew that she was in serious, serious trouble. Rather bravely, I thought, she looked the judge straight in the eye and reminded him that he called her into a trial, on the spur of the moment, that she was not involved with in any way.

The judge realized that she was, indeed, doing his court a favor by being there and, just as suddenly, the temperature of the room returned to normal.

For us jury members it was a brief moment of comic relief in an otherwise tense 2 days.

[gristy]

15. I really enjoyed serving on a jury the one time I was asked.

After the trial and after receiving our instructions we were sitting in the deliberation room, trying to decide what to do next. We decided to pick a captain. To my surprise, they picked me. A few minutes later someone knocked on the door, stepped in and said we should pick a captain. :)

[jobycom]

16. Two words: Photo Shop

Just remember, when you are writing the book about this, it won't sell with all that corny positive good-citizenship stuff. You need to rig up some pictures of the judge sleeping with a juror and the defense attorney shooting heroine.

Other than that, nice post! Very well said. :)

[tblue]

18. Thank you for your service!

They call me up about every 6 months it seems. I only ever got as far as bring an alternate. Last time I was called it was for a child molestation case. I couldn't serve that time and I wish I had. When I think of Troy Davis I know I should be on a jury. It's possible I could actually save a life.

[Kennah]

19. Even if your experience was the exception and not the rule ...

... I like stories like this about jury duty. Restores a little faith in people.

[TwilightGardener]

21. I wouldn't mind jury duty, but never get called (we move a lot). Is there a dress code, though?

Oddly, that's my big concern--having to show up everyday in something nice. My last two jobs involved scrubs, and then jeans and work boots, so I have NO business-wear clothing that still fits.

[K8-EEE]

25. They said "business casual" but were very loose with it

I have lots of that kind of stuff but they seemed fine with those wearing plain jeans with T-shirts (they asked no ripped clothes or distracting writing.) Amazingly those doing the orientation said people have come in wearing T-shirts that say stuff like "HE DID IT" or "GUILTY" sheesh. In which case they are sent home and re-summoned.

[kiva]

22. Just got off the phone to find out if I needed to report tomorrow...

a no. This is the second time in two months, so I won't be called for a couple of years.

[spiderpig]

23. This subject is very interesting to me

I've been summoned maybe 6 times and actually called to voir dire 3 times. At that point in each case I've been seated on the jury.

The cases escalated in terms of serious charges - concealed weapon/armed robbery/attempted murder.

In each case I was surprised at how seriously the other 11 random jurors took their responsibility. No one discussed the charges outside the courtroom. Deliberation was clinical and analytic. The first case was declared a mistrial due to testimony of one of the prosecution's witnesses. The second verdict was "not guilty", even though we felt the accused probably did it, but the prosecution couldn't prove it. The third was "guilty" (the defendant admitted shooting the victim twice in the head), but the defendant was an old man in a drug-riddled neighborhood. Everyone had sympathy for the defendant, but truth be told, he's probably safer in prison than back on the streets of ********.

However the charges were: did he shoot the victim? Yes, he did. Was it premeditated? We couldn't agree and weren't required to. We left that area blank on the juror form.

Have to say I've been impressed with the quality of jurors I've served with. Maybe those who toss out their summons and pretend they never got them are just-as-wells.

[calimary]

24. I had a GREAT time doing a week's worth of jury duty!

Back when you had to put in a whole week. Now you don't. But a number of years ago, I put in my week's worth. I was still working at the time, and it proved to be a delightful, if a little unorthodox, vacation!

It was back before 9/11 and I took my polymer clay and my clay-slicing tools and hole-poking tools and my other supplies in with me and I spread out in a part of the room where I wouldn't be in the way, and I made beads all day. It was back during a time when I was starting to sell polymer clay jewelry and it really helped me get ahead on my bead-making. And it was SOOOOOO fun and relaxing! To have all day to just sit and do that. I got called up a couple of times and did not get on a jury, so back up to the jury room I went, and back to work making more beads. People would come up and sit with me and ask what I was doing and we'd talk, and I'd give little tutorials and everyone who stopped was friendly and seemed genuinely interested (maybe I turned one or two of the women onto polymer clay work?).

And there was one moment when this big, tall, beefy, ferocious-looking guy with tattoos approached me. I got a little scared. And he leaned in and said "I bin watchin' you." I was getting nervous. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a neck chain and suddenly turned into this little boy with big eyes and said "do you think you could fix this?" It had a jump ring at one end that was pulled open so the clasp wouldn't catch hold. The whole dynamic between us suddenly changed COMPLETELY. He handed it to me and I took a look at it and realized it was so simple that I could almost fix it with my thumbnail - and fixed it in a flash. Literally took three seconds. And when I handed it back to him, he acted like the little boy had just found a pony under his Christmas tree. The whole exchange lasted just a moment! I FREAKIN' LOVED IT!!!! And he went back to his seat and sat down and that was that. But it was just the neatest little encounter!

I learned to love jury duty that week. You are FORCED to get out of your routine and take a break! AND I ran into a high school friend I'd lost track of, who was working in that same courthouse as an English/Spanish translator. It was a FABULOUS week!

[madmom]

27. I've been called 3 times. Twice to grand jury, once as alternate, didn't need to

deliberate, second, guy changed plea half way through, third was local civil trail and it was all fixed and done before the trial.

Yes I agree very much that it is quite a learning experience. I enjoyed it and would do it again in a heart beat. EVERYONE needs to see first hand how our legal system works (or in some cases doesn't work).

[caraher]

28. I hate that "I need to get out of it" mentality

And it's good to do it - someone is counting on you to be there for them.

My one stint on jury duty the assignment was to a district court - you'd show up once a week for a month. One week they didn't need anyone, another week there was to be a civil trial but the parties settled just as they were about to select the jury, and I was selected for two other juries. The first trial was assault and battery, a fairly mild instance, and we seemed to work well as a group. Since we reached a verdict, people who had served were more likely to be picked again, so at least three of us were on the panel for a shoplifting case later. One of us, after reaching a verdict, confided that her boyfriend is a defense attorney and say he tells her that everyone who goes to court is guilty (!).

There were 3 defendants and of the three, I thought one was clearly busted (she had garments from the store in her purse), one was clearly not guilty (she was inside a different store when the security guards swooped in on her sister, friend and their kids leaving with unpaid-for goods), and the other was in a gray area for me (it really boiled down to whether or not she was responsible for the contents of the shopping cart the kids pushed out the door). We did a quick poll and the woman with the defense attorney boyfriend voted guilty for all three; anticipating this, I voted not guilty for all three (even though I wasn't sincere on the first one). We had quite a showdown over this. I remained intransigent long enough to break her down and force her to base her arguments on the actual evidence and not her prejudice. I think in the end we convicted one (who had bras in her purse) and not the other two.

It was pretty fascinating seeing the dynamics of the jury in action.

My wife was on two juries in circuit court for far more serious cases. One was a tragic killing - tragic not only because of the victim, but because the shooter seemed like a generally good guy who made the mistake of mixing New Year's revelry, stubbornness and firearms. The other was an essentially meritless malpractice suit that was settled after about a week (which was for the best; the widow got some closure and the hospital didn't risk getting taken to the cleaners).

[K8-EEE]

36. In my case it's not so much actively getting out of it but

HOPING to not have to do it, and being thrilled to be dismissed and not assigned!

They have this deal where you call up every day and depending on the need they tell you come in or don't......they have a "1 day or one trial" thing where if you go in all day and don't get assigned, you're done.

[oldlib]

29. I once sat on a Rape Trial.

There were 7 women and 5 men in the jury. The men all thought that the guy was guilty. The women, however, debated whether the girl had brought it on. They somehow thought that she had caused it, and the jury was eventually hung.

[TBF]

30. I have young children so I didn't do it when I was called

(the child care costs would have been ridiculous), but I will do it when they are older if I'm called. I think it would be interesting.

[dembotoz]

31. good experience althought the imperfections on the juries i was on made me realize that the deatlh

penalty is really a bunch of bull shit.


was always against the dealth penalty
but now i really understood why

[sufrommich]

32. I got picked for a jury once and loved it, I don't understand

why some don't want to take part.

[K8-EEE]

33. It's hard for most people to take the time off, miss work and pay

Although a lot of the civil cases are like 3 - 5 days.

[sufrommich]

39. The judge I had for jury duty let a woman go because of

hardship.Although it was extreme hardship and the judge let everyone know that she could not let any more go for the same reason. My jury duty was in Detroit,I listened to a lot of people who simply did not want to drive into Detroit every day. I do understand it's a hardship for a lot of people, but lots of people just don't want the "hassle" of jury duty.

[LanternWaste]

34. I'm have Jury Duty on Monday

I'm have Jury Duty on Monday... which coincides with my first day of a week's vacation :eyes: (though I still get to sleep in by two and half hours later than usual that morning). I've decided to make a day of it-- bring my laptop with me in case I get bogged down in a waiting room, lunch in a downtown open-air cafe, maybe hit the main branch library in the late afternoon.

The last time I was called was in 1993. Assault case, and I wound up staying three day and almost made the cut. I doubt I will this time either as my political views are can be considered a bit too extreme, weighed in favor of the defense, and I imagine I'll get cut rather quickly.

[K8-EEE]

38. We got 90 minutes for lunch which was a treat! Went to Olvera St. for tacos most days

Did a lot of exploring new blocks downtown. That part was really fun!

[Liberal_in_LA]

35. Seems like you had a good experience. Thanks for reminding us that Jury Duty aint that bad

[quakerboy]

42. I was called 3 years in a row

Every year for 3 years of college, they sent me the notice, and the time I was to serve was midterms. I couldn't quite swing that time off.

Since then, nary a peep from them. I am unemployed at the moment, and I would be happy to be called. But I figure they will wait until I find a new job, then call me.

[LuckyLib]

43. Employers should be mandated by law to pay folks while they are on jury duty.

It's our civic duty. But you can't penalize folks who can't get paid while they serve. And we miss their service.

[Texas Lawyer]

44. Thank you so much for your exercise of a public right our forebearers fought and died for. When I

hear about people trying to get out of jury duty, I wonder if they never had a history or government teacher who explained how jury service is a form of direct participation in our government that is a unique and cherished right to be celebrated and not "ducked out of."

I am glad you enjoyed your service, and I thank you for your time and patience.

Here are some favorite quotes of mine --

THOMAS JEFFERSON: I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.

JOHN ADAMS: Representative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON: The friends and adversaries of the plan of the convention ... concur ... in the value they set upon the trial by jury; the former regard it as a valuable safeguard to liberty; the latter represent it as the very palladium of free government.

JAMES MADISON: In suits at common law, trial by jury in civil cases is as essential to secure the liberty of the people as any one of the pre-existent rights of nature.

PATRICK HENRY: Is the relinquishment of the trial by jury and the liberty of the press necessary for your liberty? Will the abandonment of your most sacred rights tend to the security of your liberty? Liberty, the greatest of all earthly blessings — give us that precious jewel, and you may take every things else! Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel.

JUSTICE BYRON WHITE: The purpose of a jury is to guard against the exercise of arbitrary power--to make available the common sense judgement of the community as a hedge against the overzealous or mistaken prosecutor and in preference to the professional or perhaps over conditioned or biased response of a judge.

[tropicanarose]

45. good for you. It is such an important job and I commend you for your service.

[MrMickeysMom]

46. ...and that gives me hope...

Personally, I want to be part of something good.

[mimitabby]

47. if you ever get called for jury duty again, don't tell them you liked it

[JamesJ]

48. I agree

I've served on 2 juries in my life. One was for attempted murder, one for murder.

I was also reassured that the system can work and did work in both these cases. I was moved when I realized that everyone there was a professional in the process, the judge, the lawyers, hell, even the accused!

The only amateurs were us in the jury. Twelve people from various ways of life, who lived in various locations in the county. None of us probably wanted to be judging the futures of these young men but once we found ourselves in that position, worked at it to try to find justice.

It came at a price. I had trouble sleeping for a couple weeks after both trials. And, I suspect, I wasn't the only one.

Of course it's not a perfect system, no system that involves human beings is. And, of course, there's no guarantee that the jury will make the right decision. For instance, in the attempted murder trial most of us thought that the defendant was probably guilty but that the district attorneys didn't prove their case. And so, we acquitted. Believe me. That was very, very hard to do.

At the time I was so disturbed about the verdict we reached that I couldn't look at anyone around me. Later, in hindsight, I realized that I did my job in the process. We all did our job in the process. The lawyers came to us to present their cases, the judge made sure everyone followed the rules. And in the end, they all, judge, lawyers, accused, the arresting officers, all these professionals looked at us twelve amateurs and essentially said, "So, what do you think?"