Question about serving on a jury. Is it normal to be asked to drive 120 miles (round trip)

[SamKnause]

to serve on a jury ???

I live in a rural area.

There is no train, subway, or buses to get to the location.

Driving is the only way to get there.

[Vinca]

1. I had to drive 150 miles round trip once to a federal court on jury duty.

It happens to those of us lucky enough to live in the boonies. Fortunately I only got stuck on one jury and had to make the trip a couple of days.

[SamKnause]

2. Thank you for answering my question.

[Kaleva]

3. I was asked to serve on a jury where the drive was 114 miles one way.

I was able to get out of it for medical reasons as my VA doctor wrote up a statement that I can't sit for long periods of time as that would cut off circulation to my legs.

[watoos]

5. Your situation makes sense to get excused,

but in general, it is extremely difficult to get out of federal jury duty.

[SamKnause]

7. I have been disabled since 2007.

That is why I will request not to serve.

I suffer from Chronic Agoraphobia.

I thought maybe a mistake was made because of the distance.

That is why I wanted to ask the question and see the replies.

Thank you for your reply.

[watoos]

4. I had to drive 100 miles one way,

for federal jury duty. They will pay so much for a hotel. People who are hard up for cash to cover the expenses, just request an advance and they will cut you a check. That's the way they did it 45 years ago.

[brooklynite]

6. Yes, if you're in the (presumably Federal) district.

Conversely, is it fair that a Jury is only comprised of people living near the courthouse?

[Kaleva]

8. Is it far to require rural people to drive much farther then those who live in urban areas?

There are 9 federal courthouses in Michigan. 8 of them are located in the lower 1/3 of the state.

[watoos]

10. OMG, I went on vacation one year to Drummond Island.

It is the definition of God's country. One ferry to get on and off the island. I was so lucky when leaving to be the last car to get on the ferry. I'm guessing that the nearest federal court house isn't that close to Drummond Island.

[Kaleva]

23. It's about 178 miles one way from Drummond Island to the nearest federal court house..

which is located in Marquette. I've never been to Drummond Island. I live way on the other side of the UP and it's quicker to get to Chicago from my home then it is to Sault Ste. Marie.

[CDerekGo]

9. No idea about Federal

But Local Jury Selection here in Florida offers the ability to decline Jury Selection due to Medical Reasons before you even have to show up for initial date.

Make a phone call, go online. Certain that Medical Excuse can be handled. Know my 84 year old Dad has 'aged' out of Jury Duty even. It's possible with this Medical Excuse, you'll never receive a Summons again.

[bluedigger]

11. It is if the court has that wide a jurisdiction it is.

I'm rural, too, and when I went to jury duty a few years ago, they spent a good ten minutes trying to figure if one young man called in from a ranch was even within the court's jurisdiction to be called. It was pretty funny.

[exboyfil]

12. 120 miles round trip

here for me (from one metro area to another metro area).

Not sure how I would make it when I retire since I plan to give up my car and auto insurance.

[EffieBlack]

13. If you're not infirm and can afford it, I strongly urge you to make the trip

Jury duty is one of the most important things we can do as citizens.

People often complain about the way the "system" works and how it's unresponsive and unfair to ordinary people, but when asked to actually participate themselves, they complain and refuse to do it because it's "inconvenient" (not saying that's what you're doing - I'm speaking more generally). But the only way to make it work is if we all participate.

Most of my adult life, I've wanted desperately to be on a jury but always got bumped because I'm a lawyer. But a few years ago I finally made it on to a jury and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had.

I hope you can and will do it!

[SamKnause]

15. Thanks for your reply.

I am disabled and will be asking to be excused.

I was just questioning the distance.

I live on a fixed income and if I were not disabled could not afford to drive 120 miles per day.

I have never in my 65 years (66 on the 26 of this month) driven in a large city.

The city in question is Cincinnati.

[EffieBlack]

22. I understand

It definitely makes sense for you not to serve. You should easily be able to be excused.

[dawg day]

25. It's depressing to give up time from work and family to "do your civic duty"--

and find out it's some insurance trial that should have been handled in arbitration or decided by a judge. I am patriotic enough to risk losing my job to help decide about someone's freedom or someone's guilt... but no, I do not think it's my bound duty to lose a week's pay (which I would) for some insurance company.

Do you think civil trials should get full juries, as they do in many states?
And why the h do we pay judges anyway?

[EffieBlack]

27. Yes, I do

[arthurgoodwin]

14. Depends on the Judge Handling the Case

It depends on the Judge handling the case. I once was forced to serve on a jury when I lived 30 miles from the courthouse, had no car, had no savings (being unemployed for 4 months at that point), and there was no public transportation available. Judge told me I would serve even after I told him this forced me to live in the park across from the courtroom for the duration of the trial. And, I did serve for the 3 day duration of the trial (it could have been much longer).

[SamKnause]

16. That is not right.

I will have a nervous break down if they force me.

I am disabled and suffer from Chronic Agoraphobia.

[LuvNewcastle]

18. You should ask your doctor to write a note and take it to the courthouse

when your summoned. I think a doctor's excuse would be better than most of the excuses other people might have.

[leftyladyfrommo]

17. I always get excused because I am really hard of hearing.

I knew someone else who got excused because he was diabetic and had to eat on time.

[Beaverhausen]

19. Here in Los Angeles if your trip is over 20 miles one way you can ask for another location

took me a while to find that on the court's website but I did find it. Maybe they could do that for you.

[SamKnause]

20. Thank you.

I will be asking to be excused because I am disabled. (Chronic Agoraphobia, anxiety, panic attacks

and depression).

I was just questioning the distance.

It seems a 120 mile round trip is an unreasonable burden.

[Grammy23]

21. I live in Florida. I've been excused before (several times really) from Circuit Court

Because I already had a trip planned and airline tickets purchased. I just filled in the form on the summons asking to be excused with details why and have always been excused. I also asked to be excused when I was recovering from knee replacement surgery. I could not sit for extended periods and also was still having PT three times a week. So I was excused. No doctor’s note was needed.

I have also served several times. I have shown up only to be dismissed at the end of the day (along with many others) because we were not needed. I have also been on several cases and
was selected as jury foreman 2-3 times. So I’ve Done my duty, too. Courts can be reasonable if you follow the rules. They are not heartless. But you must follow the procedures to be excused.

[dawg day]

24. And they'll probably pay you $17 a day....

You'll be able, probably, to ask to be excused ahead of time (there's usually a form to fill out) claiming hardship. Failing that, you can probably go in the first day and tell the judge you live very far away, your transportation is unreliable, and you don't think you can faithfully get there at the right time.

It's really time to restrict most jury trials to criminal cases. Jury duty is a terrible hardship-- bank-breaking-- for most lower-income people whose jobs could be at risk if they served. (My job is that way-- sure, they pretend that they'll follow the law... but they won't pay me, and when I get back after a week, they will have limited my hours then.) I remember getting called to be a juror when I was breastfeeding a baby, and being just baffled when I was still ordered to appear. (Not ashamed to say, I pulled a few strings- I knew a judge- so I could, you know, not have to wean my baby suddenly and before I'd planned.) Parents with children in daycare, at home, or in school are expected to somehow find a way to deal with suddenly very complicated schedules-- who picks up the kid at 4 when court is going on until 5 and it's 45 minutes from the school?

There's nothing in the constitution that says some insurance case needs "a jury of your peers"-- only criminal cases where someone's freedom is at risk.

The danger becomes that only more affluent and retired people will be able to serve on juries (those who will get their regular income along with the pittance paid to jurors). And that skews the jury pool. If civil trials were just decided by judges (who are paid, after all, to decide cases), then that would mean fewer jurors would be needed, and fewer people would have their finances and lives screwed up to decide that the insurance company should pay the $20K on that claim. And juries would be focusing on the important cases where their judgment will really be necessary.

Also in many places, juries are selected from the registered voters list, and so those who can't do jury duty because of life circumstances sometimes decide not to register to vote... thereby skewing the voting pool.
Major reform needed!

Best of luck! Try the hardship exemption-- surely they don't expect you to drive that far every day with no recompense for your time and expense.

[wasupaloopa]

26. My wife was called to be a juror in a federal court. It was in Los Angles about 300 miles

around trip for us.

She did not make the jury list but she wanted to. The case was about Robert Plant being sued over the lead in to Stairway to Heaven.

[Shrike47]

28. there are folks in Eugene, Oregon who been called as jurors to federal court in Portland.

Round trip is well over 200 miles. That’s the way federal court is.

[Horse with no Name]

29. Federal jury yes

They will pay the government mileage

[dsc]

30. I served on a federal jury several years ago

at that time if you lived 75 miles away they paid for a hotel plus I got meal money. It wasn't a bad deal but I was single.