What can happen if you don't show up for jury duty???

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Hoeboy
Well I'm in California. Anyone from CA had experience in getting out of jury duty w/ legitimate reasons?

when you get there pass a comment about how "the defendant looks guilty as heck" and how you're "happy you can finally put the bad guys away". The defense lawyer'll get rid of you pretty quick.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

Say you are a racist or you can tell if a person is guilty just by looking at him.

 

[vegetation]

Yep, because it's significantly cheaper to send it that way, and most of the population doesn't know that proof of delivery is an essential part of any dispute involving mail.

In addition, note how the summons comes to you via normal first class mail. How are they going to prove you ever recieved it? They'd need to send it certified or hand deliver it to verify receipt.

 

[Chaotic42]

That's one of the prices of living in the country. Your boss will have to understand. Let them know what's going on, and they'll tell you if you still have to go.

 

[lightpants]

My roommate skipped jury duty, and the judge fined him $100 and made him get 5 signatures from 5 people that he explained to them how important jury duty was! And then he had to serve anyway.

 

[Nosaj]

We had an alternate not show up for Grand Jury, and they sent a detective to her door! Sadly, she was only brought before the judge and he scolded her.

p.s. Serving on the grand jury was kind of fun, and you certainly learn a lot. Plus, you can't beat the pay: $12.50 a day!

 

[sciencewhiz]

Originally posted by: Hoeboy
Well I'm in California. Anyone from CA had experience in getting out of jury duty w/ legitimate reasons?

I was called for jury duty for sometime in the fall of 2000, in Compton. I had it extended till my summer break (the week between the end of spring semester and the beginning of the summer session). When I went in, they had a person there doing extensions. Pretty much, they would give you an extension for anything, because they would get you back at another time. They wouldn't let you out of jury duty for anything.

Then I got called for a double murder case that was expected to last 3 weeks. The judge asked for reasons why you couldn't serve. I said that I was a student at El Camino College. I had just been accepted to the Rochester Institute of Technology, in New York, as a transfer. I needed one more class, English 1B, to complete the transfer, and that El Camino's summer session started in one week. The judge said, "And you'd rather finish your education, rather then sitting here for three weeks?" I said "Yes, your honor" and he let me go.

I was one of only two people that the judge dismissed at that stage. I was also one of two people who was very specific about why I couldn't server.

 

[StormRider]

Originally posted by: Hoeboy
I received a notification for jury duty around early summer. I seriously do want to participate in jury duty at least once in my lifetime to gain the experience but I couldn't at that time because I was enrolled in summer courses. So I called the # and extended the date until after Christmas. Now it turns out that I will also be taking winter courses. I'm not sure if I can get another extension but even if I could, I won't have time for jury duty in the following year either (anticipating full load including summer courses).

Isn't it a gamble if I don't show up? Don't they pick you from a pool of potential jurors? But in the likelyhood that they do want me to show up and I uh.. kinda forgot, what is the worst that could happen?

Try it and tell us what happens!

Actually, isn't there some place in the form that allows you to write a reason why you can't go on jury duty? I went on jury duty this summer for the first time and I remember seeing that in the form. It wasn't so bad. I got a couple of days off work, I was never called and I got to walk around Annapolis which is a beautiful looking city.

 

[kherman]

Originally posted by: amnesiac 2.0
Think about it this way:

For 12 spots in a jury they send at least 120 notices to appear.
Lets say 60 people don't show up.

Do you think they'll honestly issue warrants for 60 people every single time they have a jury summons? I think not.

In addition, note how the summons comes to you via normal first class mail. How are they going to prove you ever recieved it? They'd need to send it certified or hand deliver it to verify receipt.

I'm not advocating shying away from your duties as a citizen but those points are valid.

However, one thing you should think about is do you REALLY want to lowest common denominator of society to act as "peers" in a jury? This is how stupid lawsuits are won.

I got a speeding ticket once and I was going to contest it. A year later I got some mail from NY state saying I failed to appear at court and I would loose my liscense in 10 days if I didn't make steps to rectify the situation.

I never got hte damn mail for hte court date. I called, and got things resolved fairly easily. Still got the reduction I was looking for. But cripe. Mail does get lost.

 

[kherman]

Just shave your head and put a hex on your forehead with a magic marker. I'm sure they'll tell you to go home.

 

[Ness]

There are about 5 people here who aren't stupid.

Please stop with the dumb crap about wearing this, or acting this way, it's not funny and it's rude. Not to mention, it's blatently lying to a judge.


Please, Hoeboy, go to the courtroom and tell them exactly why you can't be there. The judge got their position for a reason. They know how to best fit the outcome of a situation. Even if they make you stay, any professor would have no choice but to honor the fact that you were in Jury duty. THEY CANNOT LEGALLY PENALIZE YOU FOR THAT, and they will have to allow you the opportunity to make up what you missed at the same level the other students had. (as in, some professors make make-up tests harder and longer. They can't make you take that.) no matter what. No questions asked. Any problems and you should go straight to the dean.


That being said, it's not worth the risk of fines and imprisonment over the subject. How STUPID do you have to be to be so willing to give $500+ to a court? If you got spare money sitting around, let me know, I'll give you my address. But if you're smart, you'd go and be done with it.

 

[abaez]

The trick is to ignore them so much that they don't come back for you.

I'm in CA, I've been called about 6 times, I ignored it everytime I could not go because of school. (And student isn't a valid excuse)

I haven't gotten one in about two years. It's kinda like spam DON'T reply. Oh yea I didn't go to jail or anything either.

 

[Raincity]

I get alot of Jury Summons, about four to five a year. I have used the financial hardship excuse in the past and it worked. In our State, Nevada they have a voice mail phone number to call to get yourself excused. The Federal court summons always had a card to be returned if you wished to be excused. I have noticed in the last year that the Federal court excuse return cards have the excessive workload hardship excuse now. I guess they are having a hard time getting people to take time off work to attend jury duty.

Rain

 

[Hoeboy]

Actually it might be to my benefit if I goto jury duty. I'm taking a stupid upper division English GE class during the winter. It means Monday through Thursday for three hours a day for 2 and a half week. The only thing you do in English classes is discuss and then write essays. If I have to goto jury duty, maybe I can convince my professor to just give me the damn assignment and let me do it at home, then turn it in the last day w/o going to class. That I wouldn't mind going to jury duty for