so I got summoned...

Clark1961

Clark1961

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jury duty, 30 January
 
Your civic duty...serve with honor!
 
Clark1961 said:
jury duty, 30 January
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I have been summoned 5 times and only had to show up twice. The first time I was impaneled on a murder one trial and the second held up until 2pm then told to leave. Two other times I was notified they didn't need me and once I was summoned after I had moved out of the area (and was ineligible).
It isn't hard work. Bring a book and some music to stave off the boredum.
In over 40 years of being eligible. Not a bad showing.
And I have missed any federal juries, especially the Grand. Those could last months.
 
silver-eagle said:
I have been summoned 5 times and only had to show up twice. The first time I was impaneled on a murder one trial and the second held up until 2pm then told to leave. Two other times I was notified they didn't need me and once I was summoned after I had moved out of the area (and was ineligible).
It isn't hard work. Bring a book and some music to stave off the boredum.
In over 40 years of being eligible. Not a bad showing.
And I have missed any federal juries, especially the Grand. Those could last months.
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And getting paid 15 dollars a day... One could go broke REAL fast..:yikes:
 
silver-eagle said:
I have been summoned 5 times and only had to show up twice. The first time I was impaneled on a murder one trial and the second held up until 2pm then told to leave. Two other times I was notified they didn't need me and once I was summoned after I had moved out of the area (and was ineligible).
It isn't hard work. Bring a book and some music to stave off the boredum.
In over 40 years of being eligible. Not a bad showing.
And I have missed any federal juries, especially the Grand. Those could last months.
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I'm a 50something white male...no defense attorney is going to put up with me on the panel....just isn't going to happen...and so far I've always had to show
 
Clark1961 said:
I'm a 50something white male...no defense attorney is going to put up with me on the panel....just isn't going to happen
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And.... You are a pilot, and pilots need to be smart , intelligent and methodical.....

You will get thrown off before you even park your car in the courthouse parking lot...:yes::yes::yes:.......;)
 
A couple of years ago I got a letter about possible selection for jury duty. They enclosed a form that was mostly concerned with my work schedule/availability and how far I lived from the courthouse. I think they asked some basic demographic stuff too.

Very considerate if they're taking working people into account.... then again that would also be skewing the demographics just a tad.
 
The whole jury system is a sham.

The only people who don't try to get out of it are either those with an agenda, or those too poor to care (and typically uneducated). Everyone else does their best to get out.

The end result is not a "trial with a jury of one's peers". It's a highly manipulated, carefully orchestrated marketing event, in which the "jury" selects one of two alternative products.

I would personally rather get rid of the entire system, or at least move to a system with professional jurors. We'd get a much fairer system that way.
 
I served on a Federal jury earlier this year. Was a 1st amendment case and was actually quite interesting. Was declared jury foreman by the group (that should explain the low intelligence level lol) and we all agreed no harm was done within an hour. Would have been quicker but they brought cookies and water in so we had to stay to finish those.
 
I've never gotten called for jury duty.

My wife did, once, and served on a criminal trial - assault, kidnapping, and a few other charges thrown in.
 
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onwards said:
The whole jury system is a sham.

The only people who don't try to get out of it are either those with an agenda, or those too poor to care (and typically uneducated). Everyone else does their best to get out.

The end result is not a "trial with a jury of one's peers". It's a highly manipulated, carefully orchestrated marketing event, in which the "jury" selects one of two alternative products.

I would personally rather get rid of the entire system, or at least move to a system with professional jurors. We'd get a much fairer system that way.
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I disagree. There are plenty of folks with reasonable employers who provide paid jury duty. It's always been an agrevation, but I've never tried to get out of it, and in the cities I've lived in getting out of it was never an option; you could only shift the time around that you served.
 
The selection process is an Inefficient waste of time and money
 
Are you certain you got served? What are the requirements in your state? Is there proof of service?

If you don't want to serve, you might want to ascertain those facts. If you ignore the mailed documents long enough you'll never have to serve again.

Service generally requires in hand or using a method reasonably calculated to bring the summons to your attention that can be certified as having been delivered.

If you do not respond, there is no way to prove you ever got the summons. Now, you will get lots of nasty threats in the mail, but those nasty threats are just as meaningless as the original summons. If they intend for you to have liability for not showing up, they have to prove you received the original summons. Absent a trackable and expensive delivery method - they can't.

End of problem. Plus, if they intend to come after you for not appearing, you have a fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination - you are never required to ever admit receiving the documents.

If you ask for more time, ask for a delay, ask for an exemption, anything that proves receipt, now you are subject to the jurisdiction of the court. Whereas if you just ignore it . . . .
 
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Jury of your peers?
More like people who weren't smart enough to get out of it, deciding which side has the better lawyer.

As an aside, my wife served once and I asked if lawyers asked questions like they do on TV. "Is it not true that you murdered your spouse?" She said they did. In which case, when the person says, "No!!" didn't they just confess? No, it is not true = true. For me the correct answer would be "Yes, it is not true!" :dunno:
 
I've been summoned a few times over the past 35 or so years.

1st time was in Colorado in the early 1980s. They kept calling groups of people and when they got to the last few of us we were excused as the defendant in the trial we were scheduled for plea bargained to a lesser charge

2nd time was in California. Drunk driving charge. They selected the jury before my name was drawn out of the hat. Jury selection was interesting to watch and as an engineer I was ready to shoot the defense attorney before it was done. He kept trying to try the case during jury selection. Claimed the prosecution was going to bring up the fact that his client was in a bad part of town and could you ignore that? Heck, I could flow-chart the whole thing in two questions. #1 - at the time of the incident was the defendant in command of a motor vehicle? If no, innocent, let's go home. If yes, question #2. #2 - at the time of the incident was the defendant drunk? If yes, guilty, throw the book at him. If no, innocent, let's go home. I don't understand what all the rest of that was about. Didn't stick around to find out, either.

3rd time was also in California. Civil case, eviction for non-payment of rent. I was the first name drawn out of the hat during jury selection and the 1st twelve wound up being the jury. They didn't excuse any of us. I think it was the judge who looked at the two lawyers and asked "Do you realize what we just did?" I don't think any of them had ever selected a jury without excusing at least one prospective juror. Day and a half of testimony. Everybody on the plaintiff's side told the same story. Nobody on the defendant's side told the same story and the defendant contradicted himself. Dead meat. I was elected Foreman and we spent more time eating the donuts the judge left for us in the jury room than we did deliberating. It was open and shut. Find for the plaintiff and kick the bums out. Found out after the trial that this group made a habit of victimizing landlords. The one with the best credit rating would rent a house on the premise that 1 or 2 people would be living there. Then the whole bunch moved in, trashed the place and quite paying rent because the place wasn't "habitable". Waited to be evicted, which took months and money. Bums.

4th time was here in Washington. The judge had us come to his office where he apologized for wasting our time. As he pointed out many defendants just don't believe it will go to trial until it does, and then they quickly plea bargain. Our's did, so we were excused.

5th time was either Federal or District Court in Tacoma. I got a delay as I had an international trip scheduled and when the new time came up I never had to go in.

Jury duty is a civic responsibility. I take it seriously. I couldn't disagree with Onwards enough. The people I've seen in the jury pool and served with seem to agree with me.
 
Got called to jury duty a couple times while living in California.
At some point, depending on how the question is asked or how the subject is broached, I have to inform the court that I reserve the right to exercise Jury Nullification. As a result, I got dismissed by the prosecutors in both cases.
 
Have been called about every three years,always had to show. Almost got selected for a jury last time.
 
Clark1961 said:
jury duty, 30 January
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Last time I was chosen for jury duty, I was put on one civil and one criminal jury. Beings this is Illinois, both cases were settled at the last minute in a back room somewhere, so we didn't hear a case.
 
comanchepilot said:
Service generally requires in hand or using a method reasonably calculated to bring the summons to your attention that can be certified as having been delivered.

If you do not respond, there is no way to prove you ever got the summons. Now, you will get lots of nasty threats in the mail, but those nasty threats are just as meaningless as the original summons. If they intend for you to have liability for not showing up, they have to prove you received the original summons. Absent a trackable and expensive delivery method - they can't.
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Someone who used to live at my address got served. I have no forwarding address. I never met the guy. I only know he got served with jury duty because I can see just enough through the plastic window in the envelope. I tossed the letter in the trash a few weeks ago.

Wondered if someone will be knocking on my door looking for this guy
 
N801BH said:
And.... You are a pilot, and pilots need to be smart , intelligent and methodical.....

You will get thrown off before you even park your car in the courthouse parking lot...:yes::yes::yes:.......;)
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I have been summoned six times plus once for a 3 month grand jury and I have been selected every time. I think once they found out I was hard of hearing they desperately wanted me on the jury. :mad2: Even a letter from my audiologist didn't help.:dunno:
 
Been summoned about four times, had to go three, served on a jury once, the defendant was accused of armed robbery. I'd say the defense attorney made a boo boo in not making a deal with the prosecutor, there was plenty of evidence to convict and none to acquit.

It's not that bad and it's necessary to have a jury system.
 
local or federal?

I got on the rolls for Federal, but I ended up calling in every night and never actually had to appear in the court house.

The only other time I got called I had to let them know that I had moved out of that state a year earlier.
 
I've gotten summoned but only had to show up once, for a murder trial where they called half the county for selection. The selection process took three days but I was not selected. Had too high a lottery number. Besides, I probably looked like too much of a wild card for both sides. This is a small rural county and I don't quite fit the profile of a "peer".
 
High lottery number :)....reminds me of my days back in the early seventies worrying about the draft.
 
FYI, by the way, American law promises an impartial jury, not a jury of one's peers. That was a right under English law reserved to Lords of the House of Lords, who could demand to be tried by other Lords, or peers. It was abolished in 1948.

Sent from my KFTHWA using Tapatalk
 
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I've been only called up once. I called the courthouse to tell them that I was a student and a teacher. The judge apologized and said I would be removed from the system.
 
upstateny said:
Jury of your peers?
More like people who weren't smart enough to get out of it, deciding which side has the better lawyer.

As an aside, my wife served once and I asked if lawyers asked questions like they do on TV. "Is it not true that you murdered your spouse?" She said they did. In which case, when the person says, "No!!" didn't they just confess? No, it is not true = true. For me the correct answer would be "Yes, it is not true!" :dunno:
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Is it not true you just called your wife dumb on the Internet?
 
Everskyward said:
I've gotten summoned but only had to show up once, for a murder trial where they called half the county for selection. The selection process took three days but I was not selected. Had too high a lottery number. Besides, I probably looked like too much of a wild card for both sides. This is a small rural county and I don't quite fit the profile of a "peer".
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"Y'alls ain't from around here, is yas?" ;)
 
James331 said:
I've never opted to do jury duty, but with some of the BS I hear about now days, I might take them up next time.

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/23977-if-the-law-is-bullsht-you-must-acquit
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The amount of misstatements and outright falsehoods in that article makes my head hurt.

Jury "Nullification" works by blatantly abusing the 6th Amendment while shackling the legal system with the 5th. It is not a right or a privilege for a jury to overturn matters that belong to the legislature. Of course, that hasn't stopped POTUS, so I don't expect it'll stop a jury.
 
If elected officials won't make the changes needed, the people will.
 
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