I finally got called for jury duty!

[Ritterskoop]

It is a lifelong wish, though I will probably be dismissed off the bat once they ask where I work. Newspaper folk are not usually welcome on juries, regardless of their actual jobs.

But we'll see. It's in five weeks and on my day off, so I can go without much disruption, at least the first day.

[Beebs52]

Hope you get chosen. You'd be a great juror. It's an awesome experience.

[triviawayne]

If you want it that bad, then here's hoping you get a low number.

[tlynn78]

Woohoo! Hope you get picked!

[Bob Juch]

The lawyers won't like that you've taught ethics.

[Snaxx]

Good luck Skoop!

One week from today, and again the following Thursday I report for possible special Grand Jury duty selection (City, not Federal). Special grand juries do long-term investigations of things like white collar crime and could last for 18-24 months though no more than two days a week.

Philadelphia is the place to be to get called. In Long Island NY I had only two potential jury duty calls and was dismissed 2x, once before having to report, and dismissal made one safe for six years. In the past seven years in Philly I have gotten three regular summonses and now this one. The closest I came to serving was when I was in a pool of 20 prospective jurors in the process of being questioned by the lawyers when a case development (maybe a plea settlement) caused us to be suddenly dismissed. Being dismissed without being selected for a case is only one year of safety while after is something like three years. The first jury summons practically crossed with my voter registration around 2010.

[SportsFan68]

In Colorado, you can get three summonses in a year, and it's rare that one of them goes to trial. After the third one, if my information is correct, they take you out of the pool for a year. I've had a couple dozen summonses but called to the Courthouse only twice and then wasn't selected to serve.

As for disqualifying you based on your job, the City Manager's Executive Assistant, who also happened to be the mother of a Police Officer, was seated as a juror. She told them all that, but they kept her anyway. If you get as far as voir dire, I'm guessing that the prosecution will love you. The defense probably won't love you but may keep you anyway.

[Ritterskoop]

I had thought I bought tickets to Hamilton the very day of this jury duty, but I messed up and bought them for the week before. We had just finished rebooking flights and getting the correct days off at work when the mail arrived with this news.

The universe is kind of randomly cool that way.

[silverscreenselect]

The one time I was actually selected for a panel, they spent all day haggling on the terms of a plea bargain (it was a criminal case) and finally worked it out after 4:00 in the afternoon.

They actually asked me questions in voir dire and I realized that based on my answers, the prosecution would probably think I was a pretty good juror for their side and the defense would probably strike me. That is unless that had Dr. Bull checking out the jury.

[BackInTex]

Congrats! I hope you get selected and get to serve. It is a good bucket list item and an honor.

I've served on two juries, both medium sized civil cases that lasted a week on one and two weeks on the other.

My wife served on one jury. It was a murder trial. She is glad for the experience but would rather not do it (a murder trial) again, mainly because of having to deal with the soft bleeding heart jurors who knew the defendant was guilty but just couldn't put upon themselves to be the ones that sent a man to prison for 20 years. They couldn't separate what the defendant did to himself (let alone the victim) and what they were asked to do. In the end he got sent away.

[Beebs52]

One of mine was a capital murder trial, too, which I've probably mentioned over and over. I'm glad I was on the jury but hope never again for that sort of experience.

[triviawayne]

I found the whole process to be pretty dumb myself.

Get something in the mail (yeah, that's if Claven can actually put my mail in my mailbox), make a call the night before to find out if I have to go in. Then get there and sit in a room for a while. Then be told where to sit in said room for a while longer. Be forced to wear a sticker or put holes in my clothes (juror id).

Wait a while and if lucky, go to another room (courtroom). Both sides are there with lawyers. At this point, then the questions to the entire group begins (does anybody know these people, etc.). If anyone raises their hand, they are taken out of the room to speak with someone, maybe they come back, maybe they're excused. Then the inevitable question of "would this be a hardship for anyone" comes up and about 80% of the room raises their hand.

Now wait for an eternity for everyone with their hand up to be spoken to outside the room to be told, "tough toodles, you're an American and you must, no matter if you have to deal with your mortgage company and electric company to pay off the debt you'll rack up without a paycheck" (not that these American companies are forced to pay people while on jury duty).

Now that that's all settled, watch the lawyers whisper and point and shuffle papers around for about 20 minutes.

Bailiff now announces, "OK, we have our jury, you 14 stay, the rest of you, thank you for your service."

Well if they're just gonna profile us (something the cops aren't allowed to do), our driver license (you know, how they select the random jury pool) pictures are on file--just use those and tell those 14 they must burn a day of work.

[littlebeast13]

I've been called twice, and dismissed twice after two days. Great way to get a paid four day weekend (And yes, Mecca pays for JD time and even gives us overnighters the night off) in exchange for a few hours of servitude in the morning.

I never got out of the dungeon before being sent home from my October 2003 experience, and at least got to see how justice works in my second term exactly 8 years later...

I'm one of those foolish souls like Skoop who would love the experience of serving on a jury just once, even in a Judge Judy type case. I guess given the trend, my next chance will come in October 2019...

lb13

[tlynn78]

I found the whole process to be pretty dumb myself.

Get something in the mail (yeah, that's if Claven can actually put my mail in my mailbox), make a call the night before to find out if I have to go in. Then get there and sit in a room for a while. Then be told where to sit in said room for a while longer. Be forced to wear a sticker or put holes in my clothes (juror id).

Wait a while and if lucky, go to another room (courtroom). Both sides are there with lawyers. At this point, then the questions to the entire group begins (does anybody know these people, etc.). If anyone raises their hand, they are taken out of the room to speak with someone, maybe they come back, maybe they're excused. Then the inevitable question of "would this be a hardship for anyone" comes up and about 80% of the room raises their hand.

Now wait for an eternity for everyone with their hand up to be spoken to outside the room to be told, "tough toodles, you're an American and you must, no matter if you have to deal with your mortgage company and electric company to pay off the debt you'll rack up without a paycheck" (not that these American companies are forced to pay people while on jury duty).

Now that that's all settled, watch the lawyers whisper and point and shuffle papers around for about 20 minutes.

Bailiff now announces, "OK, we have our jury, you 14 stay, the rest of you, thank you for your service."

Well if they're just gonna profile us (something the cops aren't allowed to do), our driver license (you know, how they select the random jury pool) pictures are on file--just use those and tell those 14 they must burn a day of work.

It's only stupid until you need a jury of your peers to decide your case.

[triviawayne]

I found the whole process to be pretty dumb myself.

Get something in the mail (yeah, that's if Claven can actually put my mail in my mailbox), make a call the night before to find out if I have to go in. Then get there and sit in a room for a while. Then be told where to sit in said room for a while longer. Be forced to wear a sticker or put holes in my clothes (juror id).

Wait a while and if lucky, go to another room (courtroom). Both sides are there with lawyers. At this point, then the questions to the entire group begins (does anybody know these people, etc.). If anyone raises their hand, they are taken out of the room to speak with someone, maybe they come back, maybe they're excused. Then the inevitable question of "would this be a hardship for anyone" comes up and about 80% of the room raises their hand.

Now wait for an eternity for everyone with their hand up to be spoken to outside the room to be told, "tough toodles, you're an American and you must, no matter if you have to deal with your mortgage company and electric company to pay off the debt you'll rack up without a paycheck" (not that these American companies are forced to pay people while on jury duty).

Now that that's all settled, watch the lawyers whisper and point and shuffle papers around for about 20 minutes.

Bailiff now announces, "OK, we have our jury, you 14 stay, the rest of you, thank you for your service."

Well if they're just gonna profile us (something the cops aren't allowed to do), our driver license (you know, how they select the random jury pool) pictures are on file--just use those and tell those 14 they must burn a day of work.

It's only stupid until you need a jury of your peers to decide your case.

Nope, the process to arrive at that jury of peers will still be stupid.

[Ritterskoop]

My company pays us while we're out, though we're asked to turn over our $12 jury check.

At least they used to. If it's just one day and doesn't affect my work schedule, I can let them donate the money back to the state.

[Snaxx]

My potential grand jury saga rolls into early March. A large number were called in order to get 38 jurors for a special investigation grand jury that could run two days a week from now to late 2018 or early 2019. After the judge heard from about 150 of a pool of 240 who would have a hardship, I am among about 90 still under consideration. Due to the length of time they are flexible with vacations, etc. and I would be paid full time at work despite becoming part time for quite a while.

[ghostjmf]

I've had numerous calls for jury duty. In Middlesex County Mass, if you don't get seated on a panel on the day you are called to appear, you are supposed to not get called again within 3 years.

Several times I sat in the jury pool room for hours, reading magazines, until our whole group was dismissed.

Once I got to point of being questioned by the lawyers; the prosecution liked me, the defense did not. It was a rape case in which the defendant was accused of having on repeated occasions invited the underaged victim over to the defendant's house & plied the victim with drugs & drink. The victim showed up with their whole family & a lot of police for support & testimony, the defendant with nada except their lawyers. In cases like this, since the victim was a minor, the defendant usually just tries to get whatever plea they can. I can't say I was unhappy to have been dismissed.

[BackInTex]

My company pays us while we're out, though we're asked to turn over our $12 jury check.

At least they used to. If it's just one day and doesn't affect my work schedule, I can let them donate the money back to the state.

And it will cost them $15-20 to process and deposit that check.

Every company I've ever worked for let us keep them. That check also covers your transportation to and from, parking and lunch. You should deduct all that then write your cheap as company a check for $1.28.

[Ritterskoop]

We had a pool of 31 of us yesterday for one courtroom. Three were left when selection was finally concluded - that basically took all day (we started around 10).

This morning we came in expecting to hear opening arguments and see enough evidence that it sounded like we would roll into Monday. A little before noon (we arrived at 10), they told us the defendant had entered a plea of guilty and that we were done.

It was superior court rather than district, so we knew it would be more serious, and not a civil case. Then when they told us the charges, we were surprised. Larceny of an automobile and possession of a stolen car don't sound that serious.

Today we found out more. The defendant is what they call a habitual offender, so that makes the penalties much more serious. If you or I have a first offense of a stolen car, the DA said we would get probation. This person, because of at least three non-concurrent felonies, got the minimum 55 or 58 months (didn't hear which). If the case had gone to us and we'd found him guilty of either charge (the DA said the theft case was not 100% solid but the possession one was), he would have gotten closer to 9-10 years.

The judge came to the deliberation room to explain everything to us in person, and answered questions, and I liked him a lot. The DA was out in the hall and answered all our questions also.

It was a great experience and I hope to be called again in two years.

[SportsFan68]

Today we found out more. The defendant is what they call a habitual offender, so that makes the penalties much more serious. If you or I have a first offense of a stolen car, the DA said we would get probation. This person, because of at least three non-concurrent felonies, got the minimum 55 or 58 months (didn't hear which). If the case had gone to us and we'd found him guilty of either charge (the DA said the theft case was not 100% solid but the possession one was), he would have gotten closer to 9-10 years.

This is common in Colorado also, where defendants enter into plea agreements to avoid that third strike.