Jury Summons - Kill me now!

[Sidney]

Three words: Why God, Why?!
Today was looking to be a good day, until I went to go get my mail. I received the letter all people over the age of 18 dread with a fiery, burning passion: Jury Summons. I guess it's like all other things that I think "This can't happen to me!", and then they proceed to happen. :lol: Of course, this also happens the one semester I decide to take off from college, thanks to my long list of medical woes. No exemptions for me!

The gods do not favor me, apparently. Both of my siblings - an older brother and a younger sister - are 18 and over. Neither have received jury summons. I'm the only person in my family to even have gotten one in the past five years. (It must be the middle-child curse!)

So, to those who have been to a jury summon: what can I expect? Is it truly hell on wheels like everyone makes it out to be? Can I bring my ipod? :cry:

[SpikeOtacon]

But if someone kills you, that will just wrap up more unfortunate souls into jury duty for the Murder case! :wacko:

I don't know if iPods are allowed, but I do believe they allow books. Don't quote me on that though, it's been a few years since anyone in my family has had to go.

[Sidney]

But if someone kills you, that will just wrap up more unfortunate souls into jury duty for the Murder case! :wacko:

Oh gawd, it's a vicious cycle! :lol: I guess I'll have to hide out in Canada.

[Xaeris]

The specifics of the experience vary, but you can count a few things. You'll go to the courthouse and undergo voir dire, where the defense and prosecutor ask the jury pool questions. It's rather painless, but it may take a while since, well, it's a government run operation. People may tell you to act racist or similarly prejudiced to get yourself kicked from the pool, but I wouldn't do that; you'd be surprised just how many ticketable offenses you're committing just by sitting and breathing right now.

If you have a BA or higher, you can probably sleep easy since your odds of actually being selected from the jury pool fall sharply as the level of your education rises.

One piece of vital advice though; bring your own lunch. Anything that serves food near a courthouse charges an arm, a leg and your first born.

[CelestialBlade]

The fact that you're in college is going to greatly diminish your odds of being picked, so I wouldn't worry too much. I got out of a summons entirely on that basis some years back.

Or just say that you're very, very opinionated XD

[Sidney]

The specifics of the experience vary, but you can count a few things. You'll go to the courthouse and undergo voir dire, where the defense and prosecutor ask the jury pool questions. It's rather painless, but it may take a while since, well, it's a government run operation. People may tell you to act racist or similarly prejudiced to get yourself kicked from the pool, but I wouldn't do that; you'd be surprised just how many ticketable offenses you're committing just by sitting and breathing right now.

If you have a BA or higher, you can probably sleep easy since your odds of actually being selected from the jury pool fall sharply as the level of your education rises.

One piece of vital advice though; bring your own lunch. Anything that serves food near a courthouse charges an arm, a leg and your first born.

Haha, the bolded line was just too good! I heard from my father that you basically sit in a large room, and wait for your name to be called; then, you go through the questioning in the jury pool. He said it could take hours to go through all the people though. I hope I get lucky and don't have to stay long!

Also, I don't have my BA yet, but I'm about over halfway there. (This is my first semester off from college.) I suppose partial college education doesn't lower the odds? :lol:

And as for the lunch, duly noted. I have a lot of food allergies, so I don't like to eat out anyway. :)


The fact that you're in college is going to greatly diminish your odds of being picked, so I wouldn't worry too much. I got out of a summons entirely on that basis some years back.

Or just say that you're very, very opinionated XD

I hope so! The last bit of advice is definitely noted. ;) I doubt they'd want someone my age in a jury anyway.

[CelestialBlade]

I heard from my father that you basically sit in a large room, and wait for your name to be called; then, you go through the questioning in the jury pool. He said it could take hours to go through all the people though. I hope I get lucky and don't have to stay long!
It could accurately be described as the most inefficient waste of time the government could possibly come up with for the average citizen. It's like a working model to the drawback of bureaucracy XD If you're still around after the first day, just prepare to be bored out of your skull. But at least it's mindless (hey, if the average person can do it, it can't take that much effort), and you're just taking gen. ed. classes this semester so you won't be missing much.

*just steals you away instead* :O

[Xaeris]

Well, it's true. I'm sure you've been to a post office once in your life. Perhaps you're still engaging in that visit, even.

Lawyers like tractable people for their juries, people that can be easily convinced and led (hence the preference for low education). So, the people they avoid (I have lawyers for teachers) are the ones that give information beyond the question's scope. For example, if they ask what your occupation is, they'd prefer someone who merely answered "student" over someone who answered, "I'm an Education major. I'll probably teach second grade, but I'm still thinking about special education certification."

Oh, as for your iPod, that depends on the courthouse and judge. In larger courthouses, where you get that separate room to wait in, you'll probably be fine. In smaller ones, or ones where procedure has you sit and wait in the jury box, it'll depend on the judge. Most won't care or notice, but you get a few hardasses here and there.

[Syl]

Ugh, jury summons. I remember I got one for a court that was like 243905782435 cities over.

So I call them and tell them about my no car situation and how there's no way to get there at 7 AM. So I ask them to please send me to another court that's at least within range.

And three weeks later I get a jury summons for Beverly Hills... which was WAY farther >_>

[stukasa]

I've gotten two jury summons before. I don't know how it works where you live but here (California) you have to call a certain telephone number every night for 5 nights. It tells you whether you have to go in the next day or not. If you're lucky enough to not get picked 5 days in a row, you're free! That actually happened to me the second time I got summoned, I was so happy! XD

The first time, however, I got called and had to go in. My experience was like this: You report to the courthouse in the morning and stay in a waiting room with a bunch of other people until they call your name (you should probably bring something to do, like a book or a magazine). When they call your name, you get sent to the courtroom. The judge explains the case and 14 people are called to the jury box (the rest stay in the back of the room). The lawyers from both sides ask those 14 people questions. The questions can vary, sometimes personal and sometimes related to the case. For example, they asked where I work, but they also asked if I had ever been in a car accident before (the case was an auto accident dispute). Depending on your answers, they will either keep you in the jury or dismiss you. If they dismiss you they will call new people from the back of the room to sit in the jury box. Once both groups of lawyers agree on the 14 jurors, those people stay and the rest are dismissed.

I was actually dismissed that time because I said I had never been in a car accident before and they told me I didn't have the experience necessary to make a good judgment on the case. Lucky! :)

My experience wasn't that bad but it can really vary. All you can do is hope for the best. Good luck!


Or just say that you're very, very opinionated XD
This actually worked for someone I know! He got dismissed by claiming he was "prone to making rash decisions." :lol:

[Kylie]

I've only been summoned once, and I got out of it because I had dated the prosecutor's son before. 8-) I still had to go through most of the selection process though, which sucked so hard. I'm NOT a morning person.

[Aisha379]

I received a summons once, but there was a number on there I had to call on a specific day / time to "confirm" me being needed.

I was nervous and dreaded the day, but when the time came to call that number, I got a polite recording telling me I didn't have to go.

I dunno why. Maybe they already had people picked or the case was somehow settled outside of court. Either way, I guess theres a chance you can get out that way.

[Leviathan]

I'd actually like to go to jury duty.
I find all that stuff fun.

[Ketchup345]

I had 3 jury duty summons, all before I turned 22. Every time I called (my state is call once after 6PM the night before), my name was on the list of "don't bother, we don't need you."

I believe books were listed as fine, don't think MP3 players were, and cameras (including camera phones) were not allowed. You should receive a packet in the mail sometime either with the initial letter or a few weeks before your selected day describing further procedure.

I'm thinking that taking a strong stance against the death penalty might save you from murder trials in some states.

[Mike]

My dad gets picked for jury duty every once in a while. He's a lawyer so you'd think he wouldn't get picked too often but despite that, he's still been on a few juries. I've never been called and if I was called, I have the excuse of being in a different country.

[BahnKnakyu]

I'm thinking that taking a strong stance against the death penalty might save you from murder trials in some states.

That only applies to those who are in states that enforce the death penalty. Thankfully, Hawaii doesn't (hint: I strongly oppose it).

[McLaughlin]

Considering you're in post secondary education, you likely won't be picked to be part of the jury. Like others have said, lawyers want malleable minds, not smart people.

Honestly, I find the law interesting, so I don't think jury duty would be too bad (they pay you, at least here in Canada they do. :/). Can't speak from experience though, I only turned 18 last month.

[stukasa]

Honestly, I find the law interesting, so I don't think jury duty would be too bad (they pay you, at least here in Canada they do. :/). Can't speak from experience though, I only turned 18 last month.
I don't know how much they pay you in Canada but here in California it's only like $15 a day. D:

(or at least it was, I don't know if they increased it or not)

[Ketchup345]

That only applies to those who are in states that enforce the death penalty. Thankfully, Hawaii doesn't (hint: I strongly oppose it).Exactly what I meant. My state has it, but very, very rarely ever uses it.


Honestly, I find the law interesting, so I don't think jury duty would be too bad (they pay you, at least here in Canada they do. :/). Can't speak from experience though, I only turned 18 last month.They do pay, but (at least in my state), you get a few (3 days) or so of decent pay, and then it is only $50/day or something fairly low (if I recall correctly of course). I may have kept some of the paperwork from my summons, I'll see if I can dig it out sometime soon.

[AlexCraig]

I have to go testify February 17th against my former manager.

[NPCMook]

In Texas they had me call after 6p.m. for a week to see if I was needed, I was called in for the actual jury selection but wasn't picked, then I got to drive 30 miles to my job and build movies...

Its honestly not painful as people seem to make it, its more of an annoyance since its something you don't want to do, but you have to. I remember them saying if you refuse to be part of the jury system you pretty much give up your right to a Trial by Jury, or so they say.

Its not bad, just go and get it over with, its free money for just sitting there, not a lot of money, but still money. Usually they pay you hourly for the first day, and then each day after its a lump sum for the day(was $40 dollars a day for me)

[Bomber The Cosmonaut]

So, to those who have been to a jury summon: what can I expect? Is it truly hell on wheels like everyone makes it out to be? Can I bring my ipod? :cry:

For me, it depended on the case. I had a Jury Summons to Criminal Court.
So the Case was pretty interesting. Sadly I never got picked.

As for the iPod thing, City Hall in NYC, you can bring your LAPTOP. I brought my DS.
Also, there's free WiFi EVERYWHERE in the building.

It's a huge building.

[MetaZedlen]

*pulls out shotgun*

Nah, better not do that...

Anyway, it doesn't seem very amusing being that you are forced to go to some stupid trial out of nowhere, and if you don't? JAIL TIME BABY!!!

There is something wrong with this whole thing... but I wouldn't mind going to one of these, but from what I've read in previous posts, they wouldn't even want to think about me ever again, being that I am VERY opinionated about subjects (and I'm pretty sure I have an IQ much higher than the people that call for us anyway...)

[Inazuma]

ive gotten one jury summons before and i got out of it b/c i filled out some form explaining that i cant afford to miss work. that was around 7 years ago so i cant give you any more details but it did work for me (^_^)

if i get another jury summons, i wouldnt be able to do the same thing again, since im not poor like i was at 19. if you are poor, you might want to look into it. im not suggesting you lie at all.

[Kent]

I got a Jury Duty summons when I was close to graduating college... The dates they wanted me to show up were encompassing not only my final finals week, but also the day of my graduation. Kind of a dick move, on part of the government.

Luckily, though, I was able to send a kindly fark you letter and get it posponed.

[ChibiBecca]

i'd recommend not bringing an i-pod.. an asian lady was arrested because she was accused of listening to music during a trial.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2051212.ece

although i'm unsure how they'd view that sort of thing in america. o-o;

[Powder Keg]

I had Jury Duty last year. Say goodbye to most of your day....it sucks, but you're allowed to bring an Ipod, DS, PSP, or even a laptop if you want to, you just have to stay quiet obviously and pay attention if they give instructions or call someone. :)

I was almost selected for a criminal case, but there weren't enough people left after most said they wouldn't be available to come back the next day, and the Judge was nice enough to just let us all go.



i'd recommend not bringing an i-pod.. an asian lady was arrested because she was accused of listening to music during a trial.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2051212.ece

although i'm unsure how they'd view that sort of thing in america. o-o;

Well, this is during a trial, not Jury Duty. Doing something like that during a trial is just stupid XD.

[Matic]

I got a Jury Duty summons when I was close to graduating college... The dates they wanted me to show up were encompassing not only my final finals week, but also the day of my graduation. Kind of a dick move, on part of the government.

Luckily, though, I was able to send a kindly fark you letter and get it posponed.

My assigned date was three days after graduation.
On the plus side, they didn't use me on the jury. Said I was too "relaxed" or something.

[Randomness]

Considering you're in post secondary education, you likely won't be picked to be part of the jury. Like others have said, lawyers want malleable minds, not smart people.

Funny how that's entirely against the point of trial by jury.

[Nai_Calus]

Just do what I did last time and have the public defender for the case be your father. I was there like 15 minutes before someone came and told me to leave after my dad told the judge that I was there. :wacko:

Or go one further, like my dad had happen once, and actually *be* the public defender for the case.

We've since moved to the next county over but I can probably still get out of it if I get it again due to my dad being a defense attorney and me thus having a bias towards them.

[Outrider]

Or go one further, like my dad had happen once, and actually *be* the public defender for the case.

Now that is classic.

[Asahina]

You know this is kind of funny. I just had my jury duty today and it was my first one. I was a bit irritated to be called in, but I went in anyway.

Omg, there must have been over a hundred people there!! From what I learned, they seem to base it on what you do for a living. Since I was a student, I don't think I had much experience on what the case was about. I was told previously they would probably let me out anyway, but I still had to show up. And what it even made it more odd was that my name wasn't even on the sign-up sheet. After a nerve racking moment later - I wasn't one who wasn't chosen Thank goodness!!

The wait wasn't too long, only a few hours. The only drawback was that there wasn't many chairs for over half of the people and you had to do a lot of standing. And oh, if you do an excuse, it was in front of everyone and they try to sway you away from it if you let them. So if really want out, stand your ground. One lady brought her baby in and used it as an excuse and it worked. But I think that is to the extreme.

Good luck! ^.^