Jury Duty

[PaQ]

Well, I got some holiday spirit dampening news today. The good ol' L.A. Superior Court wants me to report for Jury Duty on friday. Yup, the day after Christmas. It bothered me a bit because it's gonna sort or ruin partying on Christmas for me. They've been pretty stubborn with this, they originally wanted me to come in September but I had classes to attend so I had to postpone, I got it rescheduled for this week. I'd been trying to get it either cancelled or moved closer because my car ain't in working condition and it would take a way long bus ride to get there. They still said no(even though at the time I was asking for this, the local MTA bus strike was going on..). Luckily I've got a friend who has the week off for vacation and will give me a ride. Anyway, this will be my first time doing Jury Duty so I was wondering if those who have participated in it, could tell their first times, or what it was like, how long you were there, etc. Becuase I'm going in pretty much clueless as to what to expect. Thx all.

[GMB]

Well, when I got called up they had a big enough pool which meant I never got called. That and not dying of boredom are really all you can hope for.

Basically, at least how it worked for my county, they call in a bunch of people for a week and pick 12 as needed. Usually it only takes 1-2 hours a day (but I live in a tiny county, so your mileage may vary) and if your name calls up they bring you before the judge, ask you if there's any reason you should be excused, and you either get picked or rotated back into the pool. Then they let you call in that afternoon to see if you come back the next morning.

On the days I had to go I brought a sketchbook and spent my time drawing stuff. Pretty boring but I got some money out of it and I didn't actually have to, you know, serve on any juries or anything.

It's not THAT bad but it can be mind-crushingly boring if you just wait to be called with nothing to occupy your time.

And there's always the danger that LA does things different from NC.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Bring a few books. Preferably very very large ones. I've had to serve twice so far, and running out of reading material halfway through the day the first time was excruciating. I got through the second half of The Two Towers and almost all of The Return of the King while on my two days of jury duty last time. At least we got an educational film starring the cast of Law & Order about jury duty and its importance.

If you're an artist, sketchbooks are definitely an option. Draw the people around you because there will be a lot of them.

Handheld video games, DVD players, and laptops are a bad idea because heightened security measures in courtrooms these days make them a hassle to get in and out, they can annoy your neighbors, and you'll have to lug them with you when you go use the bathroom or whatever. There's also the risk of running out of batteries without a usable outlet nearby. Not worth it, IMO.

Shower.

Bring snacks so you're not at the mercy of municipal center vending machines.

Other than that, my only other advice is to enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling you'll have after doing your civic duty, even if you don't actually end up serving on a jury. Just remember that it could be you on the other side of the jury box someday.

-- Ed/Ace

[zmanjz]

COOL!!!!

I always wanted to get jury duty once, just to know what its like, but I've never been called. (And now that I've worked for the DA's office I find it unlikely that I will be called.)

[MJC]

From what I hear (although I've never been called, I'm only 18) there are ways to get out of it. You can act crazy or tell them that you're biased or something like that. I'd probably do something like that they ever wanted me on jury duty.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

From what I hear (although I've never been called, I'm only 18) there are ways to get out of it. You can act crazy or tell them that you're biased or something like that. I'd probably do something like that they ever wanted me on jury duty.

Except that, if you're caught, I think you can face charges of contempt of court or possibly perjury, either of which can get you fines, community service, and maybe even jail time. I'm just guessing here, but I think I'd rather suffer through a day or two on a jury than suffer through a day or two in the big house.

The average judge has also seen more people than you'd think trying to act crazy to get off a jury, so you better be a world-class actor if you want to get away with it.

There are plenty of legitimate ways to get yourself off a jury. Lawyers tend not to like excessively educated people, so graduate school or professional degrees tend to get you off a jury. In some cases, just LOOKING educated by answering the questions eloquently and thoroughly might be enough. If you have any special knowledge somehow related to the crime, trial lawyers don't want you on the jury. Being a victim of a prior crime is a pretty good way to get off a jury (please see above about perjuring yourself if you're thinking of using this falsely). Being connected to anybody in question will obviously get you removed.

Finally, despite what you may see on TV, very few cases actually go all the way to the end of the trial even if you do get picked for a jury. A lot of cases get plea bargained after the trial starts, sometimes immediately after jury selection.

There are many better ways to get taken off a jury, and far worse fates than having to serve on one.

-- Ed/Ace

[CookieS]

Ok this might sound bad, but what if when the judge brought you up to talk, you said "I'm going to vote guilty no matter what I hear". Wouldn't they be forced to let you go?

[PaQ]

Thx everyone for the stories and such. Luckily I got some great news this Christmas Day and I found out I not only didn't have to report tomorrow but that my week of calling in to see if I had to go was over. No jury duty for me this year.. I really partied hard tonight.. http://forums.toonzone.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[DianaGohan]

Yeah, I heard that in a PM you gave me. Congratulations KinG of PaQ.

Oh and I see you're really enjoying that crown I gave you, like I'm enjoying the sweaters you gave me.