Jury duty: Is getting picked for voir dire truly random?

[zerocool84]

I don't think it's random. Some people never get picked their whole life and by the time I was 26 I got "randomly picked" for jury duty THREE times.

I went twice, did my civic duty. Three times is just BS. Toss them out now.

 

[dasherHampton]

It's not random.

The actual selection process might be but anyone who thinks it's impossible to get your name withdrawn from the jury pool is a sweet, sweet kid.

One of the guys I was talking about has lived in town almost 35 years and has never been called.

 

[pcgeek11]

I don't think it's random. Some people never get picked their whole life and by the time I was 26 I got "randomly picked" for jury duty THREE times.

I went twice, did my civic duty. Three times is just BS. Toss them out now.

I agree. I am over 63 and have never received a summons for jury duty. My wife on the other had had been called for jury duty several times...

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I agree. I am over 63 and have never received a summons for jury duty. My wife on the other had had been called for jury duty several times...

That is the very definition of random.

 

[pcgeek11]

That is the very definition of random.

I should have been more clear. I was agreeing with someone going their whole life with never being picked.

 

[SearchMaster]

My company did some work for a county a couple of decades ago and they basically took voter registration, driver's license lists (over 18), and property tax lists (over 18) and threw them into a virtual "bucket" to draw from. So if you were on all three lists, you were 3x as likely to be picked as someone on one list. I assume every county has their own (but similar) rules.

The most interesting "get out of jury duty" thing I've seen was a lady who sat next to me during voir dire and was twitching and convulsing the whole time. When they got to her, they asked if she had any medical conditions and she said she had recently had brain surgery. They immediately released her. I never knew if it was an act or not; if so, it was brilliant.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I guess I just do not see the drawn conclusion. My wife and I moved to Georgia the exact same time. We got our GA driver's licenses within 30-days as required by the state. We've been employed and paying state income taxes ever since (1996). We have our names on the home (c. 2000), the cars, etc. The only difference is that she maintains her maiden name (I'm not a traditionalist in that respect of marriage). Yet, I've been called three times to serve and the wife just got her first calling. Yet we've been here 22 years, both white, educated and held steady employment with our current employers for more than a decade.

Now, I know I am opinionated considerably more than the wife, but that is usually conducted either with close circles or anonymously online.

 

[Drako]

A lot of people here don't seem to know what "random" means.

Failed Probability and Statistics class most likely.

 

[highland145]

I thought it was voter registration

Voter registration and DL for our county residents. I forgot to ask if that meant a better chance if you were on both rolls.

 

[dasherHampton]

A lot of people here don't seem to know what "random" means.

Failed Probability and Statistics class most likely.

It's not a true random selection within a group of people if you remove some people from that group and select randomly from those who are left over.

I'm not a math person so I don't know what you call it, and I don't really care.

But its not random.

 

[Drako]

I'm not a math person so I don't know what you call it, and I don't really care.

But its not random.

Thanks Professor No Nothing.

 

[dasherHampton]

Any time.

There are a lot of things I don't know. Feel free to ask me anything.

 

[ultimatebob]

I just realized... I haven't been summoned for a jury since I sold my condo. Maybe they go after the properly tax rolls in my area to find victims for jury duty.

 

[Slew Foot]

ive gotten out of it every time. If they want me on a jury, they can pay me my regular salary.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Random doesn't mean jack if you don't even know the actual source of the database itself. I'm challenging the DL aspect for local/county courts. Maybe the state courts are using a state database to randomly select candidates for the state courts but that says nothing abut county courts.

 

[highland145]

I'm challenging the DL aspect for local/county courts

Well, this what you do, you CALL and ASK. That's what I did since I have several customers that work at the court house.

 

[jtvang125]

I think this is like my 3rd time being summoned in the 5 years since I moved to this county. While it may well be random I think it's pulling from multiple pools so the more pools you qualify for the higher chance of getting picked.

 

[gorobei]

Random doesn't mean jack if you don't even know the actual source of the database itself. I'm challenging the DL aspect for local/county courts. Maybe the state courts are using a state database to randomly select candidates for the state courts but that says nothing abut county courts.

you know you can just go to your local county website and see what lists they are using. a simple google search brings multiple hits for all the sources listed by multiple posters above. what do you think is more likely: we are making these things up or we have actual first hand experience/knowledge?

I think this is like my 3rd time being summoned in the 5 years since I moved to this county. While it may well be random I think it's pulling from multiple pools so the more pools you qualify for the higher chance of getting picked.

one page indicates that if you dont use the exact same name on DL and voterReg (first middle last) then you can get double listed. so dont abbreviate that middle name. other counties check for duplication.

 

[ElFenix]

They use muliple databases and what each state uses will vary. Back in the day it used to just be voter rolls, but plenty of people don't vote and adding a perceived punishment (jury duty) makes people not want to register to vote.

Being a venireperson (that is, being summoned for jury service) is random. There's another pseudo-random event which is whether your panel gets called up into a courtoom for voir dire (whether parties settle or not, whether there's been a jury requested or continuances granted). The order that you're seated in the courtoom is random. After all that randomness which got the people into that room in that order is done, a non-random event, voir dire, picks the jury. But its results are dependent on those random events.

 

[MtnMan]

I have lived in the same county all my life, have always been registered to vote since I became voting age, owned property since 1970, and got my first jury summons within a couple of months of receiving my concealed handgun permit just over 6 years ago.