Have you ever had jury duty?

[dolo amber]

Almost everyone I know has at least gotten a notice, but I never have. It's probably for the best, I'd surely find something to giggle immaturely about during the proceedings. :D

Tell us your jury duty stories. :hi:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. I got a notice once.

I just never went. Nothing ever came of it. Unless they're sending it certified mail, they can't prove you recieved it. As George Carlin said, "anyone that can't get out of jury duty is not one of my peers."

[XNASA]

2. I've been called, but never chosen.

:patriot:

[NewWaveChick1981]

3. Called once, never served.

I sat in a holding room with the other jurors all day until they let us go without having done anything except watching effing Jerry Springer. :eyes: I sat there and planned my sister's wedding shower since I had nothing better to do. I did a bang-up job on her shower, then I read two magazines before they let us go at 2 PM.

Hubby has been called five or six times, and only once has he had to serve. The trial was over in an hour or so, and the guy was found guilty. Go figure.

[Deep13]

4. Briefly, was excused when I told them I worked for the DA.

It was a criminal case and I could not be objective.

[tjwmason]

5. Was summoned once - but excused beforehand.

It was when I was at university, in the middle of exams, the summons was from my home thus about 500 miles from where I would have been...there was no problem getting out of it - had it been possible I wouldn't have tried to get out.

[Magrittes Pipe]

6. The trick is to tell them you're predjudiced against all races.

:thumbsup:

[dolo amber]

14. I'd probably get a defendent called "Mr. Wood" or "Mr. Wang" or something

I think in that case it'd be readily apparent I was not the juror they were looking for. :D

[GirlinContempt]

7. Nope

But, I'd be sure to mention my horrible viking prejudice

[dolo amber]

10. ...

:D :thumbsup:

[GirlinContempt]

12. Dont tell me

you could just sit there, ho hum, while those viking scum came in the room.

[derby378]

8. Federal petit jury

Duty on a Federal jury sucks because they keep you on call for a while. I was lucky - I served on a Federal petit jury on a trial for conspiracy to possess stolen property, and I was on call for an entire month. If you're tapped to serve on a Federal grand jury, however, you may have to stay on call for two years. I think some folks just moved away and accepted citizenship in Australia or Canada rather than serve on a Federal grand jury in the States - it can be grueling.

[nutsnberries]

9. i've been summoned several times but

i've never sat on a jury.

a few times i made the night-before phone call to the jury line and was told my panel didn't need to come in. (this is how it works in massachusetts and it counts as serving)

one time i went in and then we were dismissed.

one time i sat thru hours of the stuff they do to prepare a jury,,,, saw the film about being a juror, was introduced to the case, questioned about connections to the case, or the participants etc. Eventually we were told that the case would likely last 3 or 4 days and were asked if we wanted to speak to the judge about worries or conflicts. (there were plenty of potential jurors for them to choose from) I told him my husband had to stay out of work to stay with our baby son and i'd have to rent a breast pump because i didn't own one and i'd need breaks to pump.... It didn't hurt any that I was leaking thru my shirt a little as i spoke to him. Well, actually, it didn't hurt him or my explanation... it did hurt me. He let me go, I drove home quickly to my hungry baby. Another possible reason he let me go was because the case was a wrongful death suit... parents who lost a young child were suing a hospital. Although I met the impartiality criteria, I don't know if I could have been impartial. My heart broke when the parents were introduced. I don't know how that case turned out and it still makes me sad to think about it. What if I stayed?...

[Rob H.]

11. Three times for me

Once in municipal court, in federal court a year after that, and then on a grand jury about 10 years later.

The two cases in municipal court were DUI and criminally negligent homicide--hung jury on the former, guilty on the latter.

The federal court case was drug smuggling. The girlfriend of the driver of a van with false floorboards was charged with smuggling (there were 18 kilos of cocaine under the floorboards, iirc), but we didn't convict her. Most of us agreed that despite what she claimed, she probably knew the drugs were there, but based on the evidence we didn't feel the prosecutor proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she did.

The grand jury was supposed to meet every other week for six months and most of those cases involved child molestation and drug dealing, although we did indict someone for racketeering, another man for horse thievery, and a couple of other people for cattle rustling.

My dad got called the same time I got picked for grand jury duty, but he'd been friends with some cops (he worked at the county courthouse) a few years earlier, so the judge thanked him for his time and sent him on his way. Lucky!

[dolo amber]

16. Sheesh!

You must be like the best juror ever! :o

I didn't know cattle rustling was still...ummm...happening. :shrug:

[Rob H.]

18. I know!

The third time I got a summons I was just thinking, "Why won't they leave me alone?!"

I guess I should've mentioned that the first two juries were in Tennessee and the third was in Idaho, where cattle rustling is still an issue, apparently. :P

[Beware the Beast Man]

13. Assault and battery- WHOA- nomanclaven!!

HAbeas CORpus, lady!!!

[AlCzervik]

15. yes, the da got us all in a room and told us that when we walked into

the courtroom that we should look at the defendent and he'll most likely take the plea deal, he told us that many times when the perp sees the jury they get very nervous and decide a trial is not worth it. thats exactly what happened in this case.

[jukes]

17. i've never been "invited"

wdnt be picked anyway; former LE are usu objected to by the defence, sometimes by the prosecution.

[realisticphish]

19. i did once

and i wanted to do it, but I was at school, and couldn't afford to miss class (and living in another district is an excuse not to do it)

[tigereye]

20. yup

on the list numerous times (since I always vote, I guess), sat around waiting several times, not picked. Selected once, it was creepy, almost like the person has little chance of getting off if the bureacracy has already decided they are guilty. It was a petty thievery kind of thing, stealing cigs or something. I was in my radical mode at the time and earned everyone's ire by siding with the accused.... :eyes:

Haven't had to serve since.

[Left_Winger]

21. As a matter of fact I report a week from today

[Patiod]

22. To get off a Capital Case: only 3 words

"I'm a Quaker"

My very first jury duty, after sitting all day, at 5pm they called one last group, and dismissed everyone else. Of course I was in that last group.

We all knew what we were getting called in for - a case against a very young, good-looking guy who had been sleeping with his aunt when he was a teenager, and he and his brother and the aunt had ax-murdered their uncle. They were millionaires, and drugs were involved, so naturally this was in the papers (newpaper equation: sex + drugs + really good-looking defendent + incest + murder = what's not to like?)

I was starting a new job that week, and told the judge I couldn't NOT start the job. He suggested I move home and live with my parents. I realized it was ridiculous to argue, since they wouldn't take me anyway.

So the judge asks: "do you know the defense?" (defense team waves) "the prosecution?" (the prosecutors wave?) "the accused" (the murderer waves - kind of creepy). Then he asks "is there any reason you would have a problem imposing the death penalty?"

I said, "well, judge, I'm a Quaker and...."

before I had it out of my mouth, the prosecutor lept up and said "Judge, I move to...."

before the prosecutor had that out of his mouth, the judge turned to me and said "Miss Patiod, you are dismissed."

Thankfully, it's an area where people know what Quakers are, and don't want them on their Death Penalty juries! Although, had I not been starting another job, and had it not been a Capital Case, I would have LOVED to have served. My friends generally get boring insurance cases - sex, drugs, money, and incest are WAY more interesting than insurance fraud!!!!

[1gobluedem]

23. I can't serve on a jury

Because I'm deaf in one ear. I'm permanently exempt.

I can't give blood either because my blood doesn't clot easily.

I am a bad citizen.

[Haole Girl]

24. I got called twice- six months to the day. The 2nd case was

so stupid, too. There was no way I wanted to be selected for a case where someone ran into the back of a milk truck driving through a construction zone. I was so relieved when they didn't select me after the interrogation process (and I do mean interrogation).

[Mutley]

25. No, I've never even been summoned. I wish I had.

:(

[Crazy Dave]

26. Never been called

Just about everyone I know has been called many times but not me.

[hopein08]

27. Called once, picked once...(cocaine trial)

On 5/11 to be exact. I dragged myself in there at 8:30, then got a break from 9:05 to 9:30 so I figured it would be downhill from there. But just after the break I got selected for a voir dire. The case was about conspiracy to deliver and delivery of 6 grams of cocaine. It was basically the word of the cop versus the word of the defendant. So anybody who answered on their questionnaire that they'd give more credibility to a cop just because he was a cop didn't get picked. I got picked...juror #11. The trial only lasted about two hours and we deliberated for three. Guilty on both counts.

I'd do it again happily. I found it very interesting. I was just relieved that it was criminal trial month because a civil trial would have bored me to tears!

[RetroLounge]

28. Called twice, served twice

1) Civil Rights case in Chicago. Drunk Irish Cop beat the hell out of a drunk black guy on the far south side. They both were lying thru their teeth.

2) Child Sexual Abuse case here in Milwaukee. Too much reasonable doubt to convict.

RL

[ironflange]

29. Called once

The Canadian system is different. All three hundred or so of us were herded into a big courtroom, where we got to enjoy a film about how important it is to sit on a jury. That done, the three cases came up. One decided to plead guilty after all, one wanted judge alone, and one skipped bail and didn't show up. So it was "Thanks everybody, have a nice day."

[momophile]

30. called twice, served once - domestic violence

not guilty.

[Lady Effingbroke]

31. Gotta go next Monday.

Last time I had jury duty was about 10 years ago, so I guess it's time for me to go do it again.

Kinda looking forward to it - if I am selected for a jury, it oughta be interesting! :D :hi:

[SOteric]

32. Yes, - 3 times.

And I've served as Jury Foreperson once, as well.

The first was a trial of two young men accused of armed robbery of a gas station. They were being tried together. We voted to convict one, but could not find sufficient cause to convict the other. Oddly, or perhaps appropriately, I remember the name, the face and all the details of the young man we convicted and almost nothing about the one we let go.

The second was the trial of a young black man accused of trafficking drugs and eluding capture with a high speed car chase through a populous section of Seattle. We voted to acquit.

The last was perhaps the most frustrating and intriguing for discussion, though each of them present interesting philosophical questions. It involved a young man accused of rape. It was the second attempt at trying the case. Both the accused and the accuser were people of less than admirable character. Guilt and innocence was a very grey area that seem to flex with the changes of the wind. In the end we were a hung jury.

During each of my experiences I heard some of the most horrifying examples of stupidity coming from the mouths of my fellow jurors. If you're ever in a circumstance to be tried for a crime, be afraid. Be fucking afraid.

[noonwitch]

33. I had to sit on a jury once

It was in Detroit Recorder's court before the state made it merge with the county court. I never want to sit on a jury again.

The case was a home invasion/armed robbery/attempted criminal sexual conduct. There was so much perjury from everyone, including the cops. The case ended with a hung jury-all the elderly people on the jury voted guilty, those of us under 4 voted not guilty.

I had a lot of problems with the prosecution's case, rampant perjury aside. The only person who put the defendant at the scene was originally a codefendant, the lineup was flawed, and the defendant and his girlfriend were pretty good witnesses. I had more than reasonable doubt.

I told the prosecutor afterwards that if he had wanted to get a conviction, he should have had a cab driver or cab records that put the defendant in the neighborhood of the crime.

[sendero]

34. I've been called..

.. several times, gotten to the voir dire stage 2-3 times, but never selected. If you don't want to serve on a jury all you have to do is show with your questions that you spot the double-talk served up by both sides.