Jury Duty...

[Canon Shooter]

Well, I suppose it was bound to happen. I finally got a jury summons for the United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida.

I don't have an actual reporting time. According to the summons I'm "on call". I have to go online and fill out a questionnaire and, from that, I guess they'll determine if I get an actual report date and time.

I've never served on a jury (came close once about 15 years ago in California). A friend of mine was called for jury duty last year in New York. She was dismissed, and the case ended up being the R. Kelly case.

If I've gotta' serve on a jury, I want the whole nine yards. I want a kidnapping/murder case, sequestered jury, the whole shebang.

Any jury duty horror stories to brighten my day with??

 

[Oddball]

I can get you out of it, if you so desire.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I will do anything required to get out of jury duty, including moving.

 

[petro]

Never been called.
Hope I never am.


I would just blurt out completely unacceptable statements like I had tourettes and get myself disqualified.

 

[fncceo]

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

I've been called 3 times in my life.

First time was in East Texas, in the middle of a fucking heatwave over 110 degrees everyday. In an old court house without windows and without AC. Kept me sitting there for two hours. When I was called up to the stand, the judge and lawyer asked me what I thought about the US justice system. I told them it was corrupt, and people are always guilty until proven innocent, and even then they are put in prison!

The judge dismissed me. Hmmm, wonder why?


Second time was in Fairfield, Hellifornia. Got stuck sitting in a small room, with about 25 chairs, and 100 people CRAMMED in there. Had to sit in that room for EIGHT FRICKIN HOURS before they dismissed everybody!!!


Third time was just last month. Got a postcard in the mail "summoning" me. Had to go online to register. Got out of it permanently this time, because of my medical conditions. Woohoo!!!


Not sure how they do jurys now, since they still make people stay 6 feet away from each other and wear masks in govt buildings.

 

[SweetSue92]

Well, I suppose it was bound to happen. I finally got a jury summons for the United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida.

I don't have an actual reporting time. According to the summons I'm "on call". I have to go online and fill out a questionnaire and, from that, I guess they'll determine if I get an actual report date and time.

I've never served on a jury (came close once about 15 years ago in California). A friend of mine was called for jury duty last year in New York. She was dismissed, and the case ended up being the R. Kelly case.

If I've gotta' serve on a jury, I want the whole nine yards. I want a kidnapping/murder case, sequestered jury, the whole shebang.

Any jury duty horror stories to brighten my day with??

I got called before the pandemic.

I wouldn't serve now. I would say I have absolutely zero faith in the so-called justice system in this nation. None whatsoever.

Then I would cite the so-called "Department of Justice".

I am wholly serious. To be frank I am the person you want on a jury, and this is what 'they' have done to me.

 

[BackAgain]

Back in the day, like say mid 80s, I was a prosecutor. I loved juries and felt bad for them. For most people, it’s a duty that is an imposition but most of them who don’t seek to simply evade the service, try their damnedest to be fair and follow the law.

Later, I did criminal defense. Exactly the same analysis. Jury duty SUCKS for the jury. But it is a blessing for folks on either side of the trial issue when and if the jurors are reasonable and fair.

Some judges are great. Some? Not so much. Some prosecutors are fair and talented. Others? Not so much. Some defense attorneys are honest and zealous. Some? Not so much. But damn few juries aren’t fair. Even if their verdict is “wrong,” it’s often the product of an effort to be fair and right.

If you believe you’re fair, you probably are. So don’t try to evade jury duty. Do your duty and do it as well as anything you’ve ever tried to do.

 

[Mr Natural]

A bad day of jury duty is better than a good day at work.

 

[Canon Shooter]

I can get you out of it, if you so desire.

Nah, I don't have a problem with it...

 

[AZrailwhale]

The less you want to do jury duty, the more you need to. Juries need to have intelligent, objective people on them. People’s very lives and liberty depend on good juries. I’ve served on several juries as well as a criminal grand jury. I didn’t enjoy any of them, but I saw how valuable they were and how important intelligent jury members are. On one of my juries, a member insisted on using the defense‘s opening remarks as the basis for her not guilty vote. That was less than a hour after the judge instructed us that we could only consider the evidence and testimony presented to us under oath in our deliberations. In another, a juror kept insisting that the defendant wasn’t mentally capable of being tried despite the fact that before jury selection a competency hearing had been held and the defendant ruled competent to stand trial. If juries are composed solely of people like that, there can be no objective justice.

 

[Unkotare]

Have only been called once. Was dismissed.

 

[AZrailwhale]

Have only been called once. Was dismissed.

I’ve been dismissed several times. Never for cause, they just filled all the seats before they got to me. One really funny time I was picked for a panel, we were taken up to the hallway outside the court room, a few minutes later, the defense attorney came out, looked at us, then went back into the courtroom. A few minutes later the bailiff came out and told us we were excused, the defense had settled. I guess we looked like a hanging jury.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Back in the day, like say mid 80s, I was a prosecutor. I loved juries and felt bad for them. For most people, it’s a duty that is an imposition but most of them who don’t seek to simply evade the service, try their damnedest to be fair and follow the law.

Later, I did criminal defense. Exactly the same analysis. Jury duty SUCKS for the jury. But it is a blessing for folks on either side of the trial issue when and if the jurors are reasonable and fair.

Some judges are great. Some? Not so much. Some prosecutors are fair and talented. Others? Not so much. Some defense attorneys are honest and zealous. Some? Not so much. But damn few juries aren’t fair. Even if their verdict is “wrong,” it’s often the product of an effort to be fair and right.

If you believe you’re fair, you probably are. So don’t try to evade jury duty. Do your duty and do it as well as anything you’ve ever tried to do.

Naah. At this point, I will do anything required to get out of it, up to and including moving. After my mother's 15-month saga on a grand jury, I'm just not fucking doing this.

A bad day of jury duty is better than a good day at work.

Maybe if you're a government employee and get paid for not working.

The less you want to do jury duty, the more you need to. Juries need to have intelligent, objective people on them. People’s very lives and liberty depend on good juries. I’ve served on several juries as well as a criminal grand jury. I didn’t enjoy any of them, but I saw how valuable they were and how important intelligent jury members are. On one of my juries, a member insisted on using the defense‘s opening remarks as the basis for her not guilty vote. That was less than a hour after the judge instructed us that we could only consider the evidence and testimony presented to us under oath in our deliberations. In another, a juror kept insisting that the defendant wasn’t mentally capable of being tried despite the fact that before jury selection a competency hearing had been held and the defendant ruled competent to stand trial. If juries are composed solely of people like that, there can be no objective justice.

There can never be "objective justice". It always comes down to which barking seal the jury believes.

 

[eagle1462010]

Got called once. Did only 1 trial

 

[BackAgain]

Naah. At this point, I will do anything required to get out of it, up to and including moving. After my mother's 15-month saga on a grand jury, I'm just not fucking doing this.

Maybe if you're a government employee and get paid for not working.

There can never be "objective justice". It always comes down to which barking seal the jury believes.

Well, I suppose if you’re ever accused of a crime which you actually didn’t commit, you’d prefer not to have a jury come between the prosecution and you. Sure. I get that. There’s another alternative. Take your chances with just the one judge.

Personally, in most cases, I’d opt for the jury.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Well, I suppose if you’re ever accused of a crime which you actually didn’t commit, you’d prefer not to have a jury come between the prosecution and you. Sure. I get that. There’s another alternative. Take your chances with just the one judge.

Personally, in most cases, I’d opt for the jury.

Judges are cheaper in this area, anyway.

 

[Harry Dresden]

i have been on 3....one was in Federal court on a tax trial.....that took 4 days....and for lunch we were taken to a good restaurant down the street and were told by the bailiff order what ever you want that made that boring jury duty worth it....

 

[GMCGeneral]

Did it twice, both times I was excused. And I bet for the trifecta the next time it's to serve on a Grand Jury.