Jury Duty

[Clementine]

Has anyone here ever served on a jury? What did you like or dislike about it?

It's such a crucial part of our judicial system to have peers willing to sit in a jury box and take their duty seriously.

People make jokes all the time about ways to get out of jury duty and so many just hate the idea of being stuck performing this obligation.

I think more people would be willing to do it if it didn't pose so many difficulties. The current rules say that financial hardship or lack of transportation are not acceptable excuses for getting out of jury duty. People get paid a small amount, about enough to cover gas money.

It is difficult for those living paycheck to paycheck and, these days, that means the majority of people. If the potential juror is the breadwinner, it can be a hardship to go several weeks without working. Either you give up your precious paid vacation, if you have time on the books, or you go without the paychecks for however long the trial takes. That would totally stress some people out and sure doesn't foster a healthy attitude towards something so important. When my husband had to sit on jury duty, I think he was paid $10 a day for gas. Luckily, we had savings to pay the mortgage and other bills, but I wonder how some would get through it.

I fear many would want to rush through the deliberation process and go along with others just to get out of there.

I am curious as to what others think about the current rules regarding jury duty. Do you think it would be better to give people more leeway and allow them to decline due to financial harships or should we offer compensation to those who would suffer financially for being a juror? Don't we want jurors who focused on the trial instead of their own situation?

 

[frigidweirdo]

Has anyone here ever served on a jury? What did you like or dislike about it?

It's such a crucial part of our judicial system to have peers willing to sit in a jury box and take their duty seriously.

People make jokes all the time about ways to get out of jury duty and so many just hate the idea of being stuck performing this obligation.

I think more people would be willing to do it if it didn't pose so many difficulties. The current rules say that financial hardship or lack of transportation are not acceptable excuses for getting out of jury duty. People get paid a small amount, about enough to cover gas money.

It is difficult for those living paycheck to paycheck and, these days, that means the majority of people. If the potential juror is the breadwinner, it can be a hardship to go several weeks without working. Either you give up your precious paid vacation, if you have time on the books, or you go without the paychecks for however long the trial takes. That would totally stress some people out and sure doesn't foster a healthy attitude towards something so important. When my husband had to sit on jury duty, I think he was paid $10 a day for gas. Luckily, we had savings to pay the mortgage and other bills, but I wonder how some would get through it.

I fear many would want to rush through the deliberation process and go along with others just to get out of there.

I am curious as to what others think about the current rules regarding jury duty. Do you think it would be better to give people more leeway and allow them to decline due to financial harships or should we offer compensation to those who would suffer financially for being a juror? Don't we want jurors who focused on the trial instead of their own situation?

Yes, I hated it. I was working until like midnight ever day, and didn't have to get up early. Then all of a sudden I was getting up at 7 in the morning to get there. It was hard to concentrate on a case that was rather ridiculous in the first place, I was the only one who thought the guy was guilty, but then I just went with the others, i wasn't going to make this whole process last longer, there wasn't really much evidence anyway.

All in all it was a waste of time.

 

[Clementine]

Yes, I hated it. I was working until like midnight ever day, and didn't have to get up early. Then all of a sudden I was getting up at 7 in the morning to get there. It was hard to concentrate on a case that was rather ridiculous in the first place, I was the only one who thought the guy was guilty, but then I just went with the others, i wasn't going to make this whole process last longer, there wasn't really much evidence anyway.

All in all it was a waste of time.

Thanks for answering honestly. Sounds like it wasn't a real serious case.

 

[WheelieAddict]

I didn't mind it too much and enjoyed some of it the only time I was actually called in. It was for a murder trial and I made it to the final cut before I was dismissed. Both lawyers interviewed us and we were asked about our backgrounds, what we did for a living, hobbies, clubs or organizations we belonged to, etc. The defendant was present in cuffs during the proceedings. It was an interesting look into the judicial system for me as a young man.

The compensation was pretty crappy and I lost money plus having to drive into the city and pay for parking etc. And waiting around wasting time a lot. So I understand why people hate it. I hated it at first until it became more interesting as I was selected. Also I spent less hours than if I was at work so it gave me more free time so that was a bonus. I looked at it as an obligation as an American citizen to help ensure a good judicial system and didn't let the annoyances of it bother me much.

 

[frigidweirdo]

Yes, I hated it. I was working until like midnight ever day, and didn't have to get up early. Then all of a sudden I was getting up at 7 in the morning to get there. It was hard to concentrate on a case that was rather ridiculous in the first place, I was the only one who thought the guy was guilty, but then I just went with the others, i wasn't going to make this whole process last longer, there wasn't really much evidence anyway.

All in all it was a waste of time.

Thanks for answering honestly. Sounds like it wasn't a real serious case.

Basically some guy got beaten up, and he clearly deserved a good beating, he was an absolute piece of scum. Problem was the guy accused didn't come across as telling the truth either. Though he managed to dress up quite nicely, it was hard to tell what sort of person he was, was he acting this nice guy thing?

Anyway, no one on the jury went home unhappy that the piece of scum didn't get his money for being beaten up.

 

[Moonglow]

It's boring, and low pay compared to regular job...kinda like being in the National Guard...

 

[strollingbones]

i always get called but never sat.....a. if you have any clue about what the crime is...say you have experience in the field ...they will not seat you...b. if you know the people or the lawyers...they will not seat you....

i was called for a civil case......one guy accused another guy of stealing a tree stand for deer hunting.....wtf? they should have settled it like men.....our back of any shed...but noooooooooooo they sued each other...

 

[Alex.]

Whenever I get summoned I always get a second notification:

"The Office of Jury Commissioner has DISQUALIFIED you from service based on the information you supplied to this office in your disqualification request. YOU SHOULD NOT REPORT FOR SERVICE."

 

[indago]

A few years back, I had a case pending in a local State District Court on a "traffic offense", and, at the same time, I was called into that Court for jury duty. I was sitting in the gallery, listening to the judge explaining the case before us, when he noticed me in the gallery. He went on with his dissertation about the case, and then got word that the case had been settled outside the courtroom and our services would no longer be needed.


Later, when my case came up, we were in the judge's chambers discussing possibilities, when the judge looked at me and said that he was quite surprised to see me in the jury gallery the other day, and he checked to see what I was doing there and discovered that I had been called in for jury duty. I told him that I was kind of hoping to set in on my own case. He grinned, and said that that wouldn't happen.