Jury Duty

[mastermixer]

So I'm sitting in the jury duty waiting room today. It's so boring and there is not a rolex in sight!

Anyone else have jury duty soon, or know how to get out of this lol."

[Dr.B]

Hmmm.... I don't think I would have my Rolex on if I had to go to court.

[Timber Loftis]

One way to get out of jury duty, at least for criminal matters, is to have an extreme opinion of the police. If you either side heavily with them and would ALWAYS believe them, or if you hate them and would NEVER believe them, then you are likely to get tossed out by one side or the other.

The same sort of logic could apply to malpractice type cases, too. If you hate all doctors, a doctor's lawyer would probably try to bounce you from the case for bias.

[onkyo]

Originally Posted by Timber Loftis

One way to get out of jury duty, at least for criminal matters, is to have an extreme opinion of the police. If you either side heavily with them and would ALWAYS believe them, or if you hate them and would NEVER believe them, then you are likely to get tossed out by one side or the other.

The same sort of logic could apply to malpractice type cases, too. If you hate all doctors, a doctor's lawyer would probably try to bounce you from the case for bias.

I was almost put on a double murder trial here in Brooklyn but my extreme opinion of the police (believing them over a murderer) got me off .... thankfully. I lost two days of my life, missed work, and the experience strengthened my view of a completely dysfunctional judicial system.

[mtrunner]

Originally Posted by onkyo

I was almost put on a double murder trial here in Brooklyn but my extreme opinion of the police (believing them over a murderer) got me off .... thankfully. I lost two days of my life, missed work, and the experience strengthened my view of a completely dysfunctional judicial system.

I served as a juror for a 3-day felony assault trial a few years ago in NYC and I agree the justice system is beyond dysfunctional. I was actually happy to serve as a juror since I was told the trial would only last 2-3 days and I was required to show up to jury duty for 3 days in a row anyways.

What I found is that there is so much waste in the judicial system. No wonder it takes years for some cases to be heard. First of all the trial didn't begin until 9:30 am. Then we had a 30 minute break at 10:15. Then we were given a 90 minute lunch at 12:00pm. Then another 30 minute break at 3 pm and finally told to go home at 4:30pm. I mean seriously ridiculous. No wonder the US judicial system is so slow and this was for a very simple case.

[bewithabob]

Originally Posted by mtrunner

I served as a juror for a 3-day felony assault trial a few years ago in NYC and I agree the justice system is beyond dysfunctional. I was actually happy to serve as a juror since I was told the trial would only last 2-3 days and I was required to show up to jury duty for 3 days in a row anyways.

What I found is that there is so much waste in the judicial system. No wonder it takes years for some cases to be heard. First of all the trial didn't begin until 9:30 am. Then we had a 30 minute break at 10:15. Then we were given a 90 minute lunch at 12:00pm. Then another 30 minute break at 3 pm and finally told to go home at 4:30pm. I mean seriously ridiculous. No wonder the US judicial system is so slow and this was for a very simple case.

I hope an attorney weighs in here, but my understanding is that there is considerable activity/ argument at trial that for good reason does not occur in the presence of a jury. It's not wasteful; it's just the system working to protect the litigants to ensure that jurors don't get exposed to things that would taint their ability to make fair deliberations.

If one believes the system does not work, the best thing to do is participate. It is your right to participate!

[mtrunner]

Originally Posted by bewithabob

I hope an attorney weighs in here, but my understanding is that there is considerable activity/ argument at trial that for good reason does not occur in the presence of a jury. It's not wasteful; it's just the system working to protect the litigants to ensure that jurors don't get exposed to things that would taint their ability to make fair deliberations.

If one believes the system does not work, the best thing to do is participate. It is your right to participate!

I wish that was the case but in my trial that wasn't the case at all. When we were in the actual courtroom we were asked to leave to go back to the jury room on multiple occasions so there could be discussions that occurred outside of the presence of the jury. The breaks I listed were breaks for EVERYONE including the judge, lawyers, bailiff, jury etc. Hence the reason I said there were hours of complete waste. I was really disgusted with the whole process when I finished and the funny thing is I was actually really excited to be part of the process when I started.

[sea-dweller]

Most jury waiting rooms have WiFi now, you can get caught up on TRF while waiting!

[Dr. Robert]

Jury duty is part of being a citizen.....comes with the territory.

[Route 66]

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

Jury duty is part of being a citizen.....comes with the territory.

That's not very curmudgeonly of you Bob.

[Mike B]

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

Jury duty is part of being a citizen.....comes with the territory.

X2.

Never been called up for Jury Duty yet, but when I do, just do whatever is required, sit back, relax, and try to make the best experience you can out of it. Jury Duty takes you for an inside look on how our court system / trail process operates. Definitely worth the experience IMO.

As for watch hunting, that would be the first thing I would be on the lookout for :)

[bewithabob]

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

Jury duty is part of being a citizen.....comes with the territory.

Agree. I have served as a juror on a murder trial, it took a lot of time, but I was glad I did it. The facts were terrible to see, but the trial was nonetheless a very interesting experience that lasted for 3 weeks, plus 4 days of deliberation...

Hearing testimony from a convicted murderer, having him sit in a witness chair, in chains, 5 feet from me was unforgettably chilling.

We convicted a cold-blooded murderer.

[StarSovereign]

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

Jury duty is part of being a citizen.....comes with the territory.

x2

[Sose]

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

Jury duty is part of being a citizen.....comes with the territory.

Wholeheartedly agree. I was called once but not picked and I have to say I'm disappointed.

[usbzoso]

my friend is on Jury Duty today as well he is tweeting a lot of non-sense being pissed that he has to be there

[usbzoso]

btw, getting out of jury duty is very simple if you have common sense ... when you are talking with the lawyers that has to pick jury just say the things they dont want to hear ... its pretty simple to figure out what they dont want to hear and they wont pick you

[Dr. Robert]

I'd think if any of you were on trial you'd want intelligent Rolex aficionados in the jury.........the legal gods forbid.....what if your jury all wore Omegas? They'd lock you up
& throw away the key.

[mpkRolex]

my wife always gets called and I never for once wonder why.

[Mike B]

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

I'd think if any of you were on trial you'd want intelligent Rolex aficionados in the jury.........the legal gods forbid.....what if your jury all wore Omegas? They'd lock you up
& throw away the key.

Well, looks like if you had me for a juror, you'd know the answer lol

[Art161]

It annoys me that I can not serve on a California jury hearing a criminal case because of my beliefs. I believe in jury nullification, which dates back to colonial times. It was a protection from having the government pass unconscionable laws, or from having the laws applied in an improper manner. If you say you believe in jury nullification, you are disqualified from hearing a criminal case in California. Some states specifically allow people with those beliefs to serve on a jury.

[SkyKing31]

mastermixer .. No Rolex in sight? .. wow .. My mom's Rolex is always on but I guess her robe covered it .. lol

[Bisquitlips]

Went to JD twice in the last year.

Bored to tears! Read Money mag and Smart Money all day.

Got dismissed about 5PM.

Productive! Found a few very productive ETF's those few days! Whoot!

[mastermixer]

I got lucky I guess,was dismissed at 4:00 and did not get selected to a jury. We have a one trial court so even if you are not selected you still get credit for one year.

Originally Posted by Bisquitlips

Went to JD twice in the last year.

Bored to tears! Read Money mag and Smart Money all day.

Got dismissed about 5PM.

Productive! Found a few very productive ETF's those few days! Whoot!

[Saxon007]

I get called every 3 years like clockwork. There are 600 jurors that get sworn in and they usually let about half go at lunch. I never get to go early, I always get called onto a panel. Last February I spent almost 12 hours at the courthouse (0730 to 1855) while they whittled a 60 person panel down to a 12 person jury for a felony rape case. It was a long, depressing, disturbing day.

I hate jury duty.

[Rockrolex]

I have done everything except serve on a jury. I've been plaintiff's counsel, defense counsel, a witness at trial, and a judge. The last time I got called for jury duty, I was excused because I was related by marriage to defense counsel. When the judge asked if I could be impartial, I had to truthfully answer: "I don't know." I was dismissed.

Art, I'm sorry you believe in jury nullification. The role of the jury is to decide guilt or innocense or liability based on the facts presented - not whether you agree or disagree with the law. No lawyer wants a juror who appears to have already made up his mind as to what the law should be and how it should be applied, even before hearing the evidence. No wonder you keep getting excluded.

[vh_bu98]

I've been summon twice and was a juror once. I believe it's an important role as a citizen since it's one of the few things that differentiate us from non-citizens.

When I was summon last year, I brought my laptop and tether it to my cell phone. It helped make the time go fast before we were dismissed.

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Rockrolex

I have done everything except serve on a jury. I've been plaintiff's counsel, defense counsel, a witness at trial, and a judge. The last time I got called for jury duty, I was excused because I was related by marriage to defense counsel. When the judge asked if I could be impartial, I had to truthfully answer: "I don't know." I was dismissed.

Art, I'm sorry you believe in jury nullification. The role of the jury is to decide guilt or innocense or liability based on the facts presented - not whether you agree or disagree with the law. No lawyer wants a juror who appears to have already made up his mind as to what the law should be and how it should be applied, even before hearing the evidence. No wonder you keep getting excluded.

Ed and Art, I wasn't familiar with the term "jury nullification" but it was interesting to learn that in the old days it was used, for example, to protect those who enabled slaves to escape to freedom. I don't know enough about our laws to imagine how it might be applied in modern times.

[East Bay Rider]

I've been called 3 times. I always bring a book. It's a relatively calm day to catch up with my reading.

[Jan Davis]

How To Get Out Of Jury Duty Summons

1. Request a date change – You can probably safely get a date of service change just by asking the court.

2. Dress horribly inappropriate for your age/gender – I want you to think “Mid-80’s Madonna Attending A Circus” for this. The other jurors will be scared of you, the lawyers will be afraid to ask you any questions, and the judge won’t want Madonna or a circus in his courtroom.

3. Mention you are a felon – Of course, you have to actually be one to do this, but if you get selected for jury duty and they didn’t know you were a felon, make sure to tell them.

4. Have a baby or an elderly person at home – The primary caregiver for either a baby or an elderly person can usually get out of jury duty pretty easily.

5. Sold your car AND your bike? – Back when I lived in California, I got my jury duty summons moved to both a closer court and a different date because I had no way of getting to the courthouse they wanted me to come to. I didn’t own a car and public transportation didn’t go where I would have needed it to go!

6. Be away from home – If you aren’t home and on an extended vacation in Europe or even the next state over, they can’t expect you to cut short a trip just for jury duty. Ask for a date change.

7. Talk in circles when questioned by lawyers – Believe me, if I was on trial for something, the last thing I would want was a crazy person on the jury deciding my fate… and your defense attorney wouldn’t want it either.

8. Get a note from your doctor – Notes from your doctor can get you out of all sorts of appointments and commitments. You pay for insurance or doctor visits, so be sure to use them to your advantage.

9. Is your long-lost Uncle a cop? – Be sure to somehow slip that in when being questioned. Some lawyers may not want someone close to law enforcement to sit on their jury.

10. Get drunk before you show up – Risky? Yep. But alcoholics who are drunk at 8am will probably be sent home early.

11. Be biased – Be biased against the crime, the location, the race of the perp, the color of the rug in the courtroom. Admittedly biased people have no place on a jury.

12. Spill your darkest secrets to the lawyers – Ever been the victim of a crime that could sway your opinion of the case at hand? Be sure to let them know about it.

13. Buddhists get off jury duty – My friend, a Buddhist, has gotten off jury duty 3 times just by being Buddhists. It’s against his religion to pass judgement on others. I am sure there are clauses in other religions that could also be used.

14. Be a student – If jury duty could affect your grades or your chance at graduation, you can probably get out of serving just by asking. Although, now that I think about it, my college professor didn’t care that I missed a mid-term because my dad died, so maybe some judges don’t care either.

15. Moved out of the county asking you to serve lately? – Let them know – Instant removal from service.

16. And finally, a last ditch effort? – Use a George Carlin line and tell the judge you can tell if someone is guilty just by looking at them. That should do the trick if all else fails.

[Lion]

I believe it's your civic duty to go to jury duty and you get paid handsomely as well!!!