I got called for jury duty a couple years ago when I was in the middle of job hunting. When they asked why I wouldn't be able to serve, I told them that I had a non-refundable plane ticket for a job interview. I was excused.
Others excuses were that they were unable to afford day care for their kids, they were the sole proprietor of a business, and one very old lady's excuse was "I'm too damn old!"
for the past year i have dreamed about being called for jury duty. just for the oppertunity to sit and read for an entire day... mmm - or even to get on a case.
Be careful what you wish for - the case I was preliminary selected for was anticipated to last several months. When the judge asked prospective jury members to raise their hands if they were unable to serve, a good 90% of them were raised...
I always seem to get called for jury duty within a few months of moving away from a given city. I got called for jury duty in Philadelphia about six months after moving to NYC, and then I got for jury duty in NYC about a month after I moved to Oregon. I expect to get called for jury duty in Chicago soon after I move back to NYC.
on the opposite end of the spectrum from j's, "I am a libertarian." works pretty well too. My dad has never once had to sit jury duty, because he tells them he thinks all their laws are a crock of bull to begin with. So it seems like any sort of extremism is probably hard to get onto a jury.
Though the american system is sooo effed up I have received 6, yes 6, jury summons and I'm only 26!!!
I CAN'T SERVE, I AM NOT A CITIZEN!!!! Why can't they have a centralized database which only selects ELIGIBLE residents?!?!?
The first couple times, I checked the box that says I can't participate because I am not a citizen and mailed it back. The subsequent 4 letters went straight into the junk mail recycling bin.
I have heard from a few friends lately that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get out of jury duty. My friend just served on a 5 day trial (she had to use her vacation time) and they said economic hardship is not a factor if you don't have kids as they assume up to one week is not a financial burden. I think most of us would be hurting if we missed a weeks pay...
do you think that "i'm an archinecter" would work?
i've only been called for jury duty once and it was for the day that i was moving away to head to graduate school...
they just changed the process in florida a few years ago... the pool used to be pulled from registered voters... now it is just pulled from driver's license records...
do we really want people who aren't even registered to vote serving on juries?
About three months after I became a citizen I had to serve on Jury Duty for a week.
I say, be completely honest. If you do have a legit reason to not serve, then you won't be selected, in which case it will benefit everyone involved. To me, the best reason to not serve is because you have an inherent bias towards one side. If the only reason you don't want to serve is because you think its a waste of time and complete BS, then you are denying a great American institution. I'm sure it isn't perfect. In fact, I know it isn't perfect and needs to get better. But this system is about as close as we will get for now to a just legal system. If its a $ issue, you should talk it over with the principal architect. I was the first one ever to run into the problem and they added jury duty into the benefits package just for me where I would get paid for the week of jury duty minus the amount that was given by the government.
in my county, the governmental contribution to compensation for jurors is $15.00 per day.
FIFTEEN!
but i hear you can also get reimbursed for bus fare.
i was pretty shocked at that, i mean even at minimum wages fifteen is incredulous for something that will definitely take one full day, more if you're selected and the case goes to trial. i understand that jurors can't be put in a position of prolonging a given deliberation for their own gains, but sheesh.
i wonder, do you get a free lunch at least in the county cafeteria?
everybody I know wants to get out of jury duty when they're summoned ... the vast majority of the people I know are professional people and we rarely, if ever, actually get chosen to serve on a jury ... those who I know who have served on a jury uniformly tend to think it was a great experience.
if you are an employee, and your employer "will not allow you to miss work" the Judge will want to know who you work for so they can send them a nice letter. Legit orginazations have policies on jury duty (employee manual: "...office time will be used for up to 40 hours of jury duty per year..") if you really want to get out just say you have seen the defandant in the bar a few times, you will be dismissed.
people around the world throughout time have died for rights like the right to a fair trial by a jury of one's peers. it's in the very heart of our legal system.
i for one would be honored to serve on a jury -- whatever i'm doing at work can wait. this is america, without our rights we are nothing. with those rights come responsibilities.
we americans sure can act like spoiled brats sometimes.
i was called up last year - turns out it was a murder case - my boss was really cool with the whole thing - i made first cut, but was axed within sight of the 12 chairs - never knew why.
the most moving part of the entire process was sitting in the courtroom and listening to the answers to the question, "have you ever been the victim of a violent crime?"...turns out i was SURROUNDED by people who had been raped, robbed and beaten - the rapes were the most painful part to listen to - i would estimate that about 30 percent of the women in the room admitted to having been raped. i don't know what the statistics are, but it was astonishing to me, to say the least.
i read several months later that the man had been convicted and given life imprisonment.
Am I the only one who finds it sad that most juries are not good representation of the populace because the working class is using every trick in the book to "get excused."
Have you ever sat in on a jury trial? Those 12 seats are filled up with the elderly, the unemployed and the destitute. If there is even the slightest technical nature or complexity to the case I would guess 90% of the jurors are confused, if they are paying attention anyway.
Consider if you were on trial before a jury. Who would you trust to make the right decision? I hope you'd say yourself, oh, but that person like you complained about missing a couple days of pay. Instead you got the daytime tv watching crowd.
In theory, most of us would jump at a chance to participate in true democracy. In reality, at this point in my life/ career, I financially cannot afford to take several days off work without pay. $15/day (or whatever they pay) is not a living wage. Once they pay a living wage, or require employers to maintain salary, then they will get a full spectrum of the population and not just government employees, the unemployed, and the elderly.
btw, I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, whether you do the extension thing, or just check distance box, how will they know exactly when you moved? Even based on paychecks- you could have been working remotely.
Most people I know have (at one time or another) ignored a summons and have never heard repercussions from it. I have been summoned 6 times and I'm only 26 years old. I replied "can't participate- not a citizen" to the first two and just threw away the subsequent 4. If they are so incompetent that they can't even have a centralized database that determines who is eligible... what are the chances that they are going to get organized enough to figure out that you actually moved a week after you claimed?
haha - go figure, after 6 yrs of not being called for jury duty i get the notice in the mail today a mere 16 days after posting my desires above. i guess you get what you ask for!
getting out of jury duty
any suggestions...within the next hour??
i may just say that I am an architect and hate everything
show up as garwondLer!
I got called for jury duty a couple years ago when I was in the middle of job hunting. When they asked why I wouldn't be able to serve, I told them that I had a non-refundable plane ticket for a job interview. I was excused.
Others excuses were that they were unable to afford day care for their kids, they were the sole proprietor of a business, and one very old lady's excuse was "I'm too damn old!"
for the past year i have dreamed about being called for jury duty. just for the oppertunity to sit and read for an entire day... mmm - or even to get on a case.
Be careful what you wish for - the case I was preliminary selected for was anticipated to last several months. When the judge asked prospective jury members to raise their hands if they were unable to serve, a good 90% of them were raised...
i would love to do jury duty but have never been called. of course, i would probably be excused for my radical left leanings.
Just don't go and pay the fine. Jury duty is bullshit.
i would love to serve on a jury, in fact, i'm currently called for the end of this month. first time.
i can't afford to miss the billable time though, and as an independent contractor ia told them i have no employer compensation for my missed time.
haven't heard back yet.
i say show up good and drunk.
get married to an assistant state/district attorney...
it works for me...
I just threw my notice away. It wasn't certified, so it could have been a postal error...
I know, I'm a bad American. I just couldn't deal with it then...
keep it up teach.
I always seem to get called for jury duty within a few months of moving away from a given city. I got called for jury duty in Philadelphia about six months after moving to NYC, and then I got for jury duty in NYC about a month after I moved to Oregon. I expect to get called for jury duty in Chicago soon after I move back to NYC.
on the opposite end of the spectrum from j's, "I am a libertarian." works pretty well too. My dad has never once had to sit jury duty, because he tells them he thinks all their laws are a crock of bull to begin with. So it seems like any sort of extremism is probably hard to get onto a jury.
The pro of not being a citizen…no jury duty!
Though the american system is sooo effed up I have received 6, yes 6, jury summons and I'm only 26!!!
I CAN'T SERVE, I AM NOT A CITIZEN!!!! Why can't they have a centralized database which only selects ELIGIBLE residents?!?!?
The first couple times, I checked the box that says I can't participate because I am not a citizen and mailed it back. The subsequent 4 letters went straight into the junk mail recycling bin.
I have heard from a few friends lately that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get out of jury duty. My friend just served on a 5 day trial (she had to use her vacation time) and they said economic hardship is not a factor if you don't have kids as they assume up to one week is not a financial burden. I think most of us would be hurting if we missed a weeks pay...
do you think that "i'm an archinecter" would work?
i've only been called for jury duty once and it was for the day that i was moving away to head to graduate school...
they just changed the process in florida a few years ago... the pool used to be pulled from registered voters... now it is just pulled from driver's license records...
do we really want people who aren't even registered to vote serving on juries?
yes we do.
or not.
About three months after I became a citizen I had to serve on Jury Duty for a week.
I say, be completely honest. If you do have a legit reason to not serve, then you won't be selected, in which case it will benefit everyone involved. To me, the best reason to not serve is because you have an inherent bias towards one side. If the only reason you don't want to serve is because you think its a waste of time and complete BS, then you are denying a great American institution. I'm sure it isn't perfect. In fact, I know it isn't perfect and needs to get better. But this system is about as close as we will get for now to a just legal system. If its a $ issue, you should talk it over with the principal architect. I was the first one ever to run into the problem and they added jury duty into the benefits package just for me where I would get paid for the week of jury duty minus the amount that was given by the government.
Sorry, no humor here.
in my county, the governmental contribution to compensation for jurors is $15.00 per day.
FIFTEEN!
but i hear you can also get reimbursed for bus fare.
i was pretty shocked at that, i mean even at minimum wages fifteen is incredulous for something that will definitely take one full day, more if you're selected and the case goes to trial. i understand that jurors can't be put in a position of prolonging a given deliberation for their own gains, but sheesh.
i wonder, do you get a free lunch at least in the county cafeteria?
everybody I know wants to get out of jury duty when they're summoned ... the vast majority of the people I know are professional people and we rarely, if ever, actually get chosen to serve on a jury ... those who I know who have served on a jury uniformly tend to think it was a great experience.
take a deep breath and relax ...
never been summoned, always wanted to do it. but i don't think my employer would appreciate me volunteering, so i'll just wait.
civic duty, etc. step up!
i think our firm has a jury duty category on our timesheets.
how come nobody like child molesters? they're people too
i wish i was in a position to be able to do the service, but the timing's terrible.
though they may in fact deny my request for postponement...
towards the mid page is a starting point when i reported from los angeles superior court as a jury member.
very funny....that abra has a way with words...
the trial was postponed, so I got out...
didnt want to sit through two weeks of a murder / torture trial anyways
lucky you mdler....but you are marked for the future....
let the killers roam free
if you are an employee, and your employer "will not allow you to miss work" the Judge will want to know who you work for so they can send them a nice letter. Legit orginazations have policies on jury duty (employee manual: "...office time will be used for up to 40 hours of jury duty per year..") if you really want to get out just say you have seen the defandant in the bar a few times, you will be dismissed.
The whole thing is a cattle drive.
i was called three times, all when i was out of state at school
people around the world throughout time have died for rights like the right to a fair trial by a jury of one's peers. it's in the very heart of our legal system.
i for one would be honored to serve on a jury -- whatever i'm doing at work can wait. this is america, without our rights we are nothing. with those rights come responsibilities.
we americans sure can act like spoiled brats sometimes.
j'accuse!
the funny thing about jury duty is that a judge came beforehand to explain democracy to the potential jurors
he went on to describe how the president is elected by the people every 4 yrs...I had to chuckle
i was called up last year - turns out it was a murder case - my boss was really cool with the whole thing - i made first cut, but was axed within sight of the 12 chairs - never knew why.
the most moving part of the entire process was sitting in the courtroom and listening to the answers to the question, "have you ever been the victim of a violent crime?"...turns out i was SURROUNDED by people who had been raped, robbed and beaten - the rapes were the most painful part to listen to - i would estimate that about 30 percent of the women in the room admitted to having been raped. i don't know what the statistics are, but it was astonishing to me, to say the least.
i read several months later that the man had been convicted and given life imprisonment.
by law your employer is required to pay you for jury duty...
July 17th - tell them you have to come down to LA for my birthday
just where your architecture sucks shirt and foil in your hair and catwoman boots and they'll let you go.
Am I the only one who finds it sad that most juries are not good representation of the populace because the working class is using every trick in the book to "get excused."
Have you ever sat in on a jury trial? Those 12 seats are filled up with the elderly, the unemployed and the destitute. If there is even the slightest technical nature or complexity to the case I would guess 90% of the jurors are confused, if they are paying attention anyway.
Consider if you were on trial before a jury. Who would you trust to make the right decision? I hope you'd say yourself, oh, but that person like you complained about missing a couple days of pay. Instead you got the daytime tv watching crowd.
In theory, most of us would jump at a chance to participate in true democracy. In reality, at this point in my life/ career, I financially cannot afford to take several days off work without pay. $15/day (or whatever they pay) is not a living wage. Once they pay a living wage, or require employers to maintain salary, then they will get a full spectrum of the population and not just government employees, the unemployed, and the elderly.
participate in true democracy...
tumbles
I dont belive in democracy...at least in America
your coworker is right!
btw, I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, whether you do the extension thing, or just check distance box, how will they know exactly when you moved? Even based on paychecks- you could have been working remotely.
Most people I know have (at one time or another) ignored a summons and have never heard repercussions from it. I have been summoned 6 times and I'm only 26 years old. I replied "can't participate- not a citizen" to the first two and just threw away the subsequent 4. If they are so incompetent that they can't even have a centralized database that determines who is eligible... what are the chances that they are going to get organized enough to figure out that you actually moved a week after you claimed?
mdler....you don't believe it exists? or you don't believe in it at all (meaning the definition)?
you cant have democray and capitalism existing simoultaneously
mdler....democracy is how we have capitalism.
one basically says we are all equal...the other says that I am better than you
I'm a nihilist, Tumbles. I believe in nothing
communism makes us "equal", democracy gives us the opportunity to be equal.
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haha - go figure, after 6 yrs of not being called for jury duty i get the notice in the mail today a mere 16 days after posting my desires above. i guess you get what you ask for!
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