In DC, I get called nearly every 2 years (like clockwork).
I'm not trying to moralize here, but I accept it as the price of citizenship. Yes, I did make up for my lost work in the evenings and weekends. Also, for the juries I have served on, it was an interesting, though sometimes frustrating experience.
As for going enfemme, I think Dilane has already broken that barrier.
Warmly,
Sheren Kelly
Just tell them that you believe in the death penalty and would love to see a hanging. LOL
Rader
I served on a jury recently in which I worked on the election campaign for the judge who was running against the defense attorney in this trial. I also knew the prosecutor and had taught his daughter in school. After all the jury questioning and before the final selections were made, I told the judge that I felt that a couple of questions by the defense attorney were extremely rude and unnecessary and I did not appreciate his mannerism. I was still selected to be on the jury. It was very interesting. The judge was a hoot to talk with when the trial was not in session.
Chelle
Maybe they could re-schedule SCC instead?
Anyways at jury duty, maybe act like you know the defendant. I mean last time I was called, that wasn't how I got out of it but I think if you personally know the defendant then you are dismissed. Even a comment like, "Oh yeah I know him, I never expected to see him in court..."
OR - make sounds like someone getting killed, like buzzing sounds or choking sounds or go "ZHING!" every so often like a guillotine.
I mean what if you go to court and it is some real serious case like someone is there for murder one or something?
It takes a true Erin to be a pain in the assatar.
I wear my National Rifle Association T-shirt or a civil war reenactor shirt with US and CSA flags on them. I get excused b the defense team. Anyway, this works here on the 'left coast' of America.
joank
Southern California
Well, I've never been called to Jury Duty and I do think it is one of the costs for the price of freedom, citizenship and so on. I am very opinionated and have my own strong opinions of things, sometimes regardless of the evidence. I think I might have a hard time listening to 11 morons ( see? ) try to decide what the answer was, when I had come to the conclusion before even being sequestered. I don't need to hear anyone's opinions, let alone 11 other opinions. For this reason, I think I'd be a lousy jury member and cause the case to result in a hung jury. Think "12 Angry Men" with out the last scene.
In the past, I had the perfect excuse for not being called for jury duty. I was a volunteer firefighter. In NJ on the bottom of the form is a check box for volunteer services, ie fire or first aid. I simply checked the box, wrote the name of the vol fire company down and that was it.
not being a firefigher anymore, I got a notice in the mail about JD. It turns out that we only have to stay home and call in to see if were needed. I called the court the week before, spoke to some one in the judeges chamber and told him about my hypertension medication which contains a diuretic and i would have to leave to use the rest room. I never got called.
Exactly right! Where I live, after jury duty they allow you to ask the judge and the lawyers about your experience and I flat out asked the lawyers.Originally Posted by Shannen
"I don't get it! Y'all had almost a hundred people out there, and when you started your question and answer period, a good deal of them spoke up. I, on the other hand, sat there quietly and said nothing, and yet you picked me out of the crowd. Why?" I asked
"Every person that spoke up gave us a reason to disqualify them." he replied with a huge grin.
So, if you dont want to get picked, open your mouth and ask a lot of questions, the dumber the better.
A year ago I would have been offended at the very idea of trying to weasel your way out of jury duty, but after spending almost a week on the jury for aggravated child molestation, I am no longer so eager to do my civic duty. I honestly don't think I could stand to do that again . . .
Last edited by TxKimberly; 08-06-2011 at 07:48 AM.
One of the few benefits of being an old person is no more jury duty. If I was on a jury I would probably fall asleep.
Vieja
Was it a summons to sign up for jury duty, or was it actual jury assignment? I find it weird that they'd just assign you the dates via non-certified mail.
I got my summons during the Saints' Super Bowl run and had to report right after it. I was able to talk to a clerk and defer my jury duty by a couple of months. My job (and specifically, my position) is high demand until a certain point, which I explained and she understood, so I was able to go in right after everything calmed down.
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
Oscar Wilde
This is what I wore the last time to jury duty.
3298.JPG
The first problem was getting in the building, didn't think about all the metal in the corset, and metal rings on the skirt setting off the metal detector, as I walked through the metal detector, the sheriff officer just look and me with a grin, and said " O.K. Lift it ", the skirt I was wearing, you could hide a shotgun under.
This outfit did not stop me from getting called up and questioned, but when asked if you have any family members convicted of a felony? I have to answer yes, my stepfather is serving a life sentence for 1st degree murder, at that point I was excused.
Don't get me wrong, I was not trying to get out of jury duty, I would love to be on a jury someday, never have, and just thought it best to be me.
"I am Yin & Yang, North & South, Night & Day, Feminine & Masculine" [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64235483@N02/
I did a week of jury duty just last month. I was only called to the courthouse on two days. I got so far as to be interviewed for one jury, but was excused by the prosecutor. I dressed in casual male mode but always have very long acrylic nails and eye makeup (permanent) on. I don't know, but kind of suspect, that my appearance had something to do with my being rejected. So, I never wound up on a jury. It's the first time I've been called (even though I've been a lifelong resident of this community). Kind of a let-down, actually, since I do feel that it's an important civic responsibility and I could do a good job of it. I was generally fairly impressed by the other potential jurors I met while waiting to serve. They were generally an older, white, female group. A large number of them were current or retired teachers or librarians (we have summers off). Mostly quite intelligent and responsible types.
- Diane
I get called for jury duty once a year without fail. There is a call-in the night before and most of the time I am told I'm not needed. The few times I have gone in, I've only got to the court room once and was never called to be questioned. The worst part was that my employer would have paid my salary while I was serving and it would have been a nice change of pace. Now that I'm retired, I figure it's nearly certain that I will get picked - got my notice for the end of this month.
When I was running my own business, I said I would have to close shop and the employees I had would lose their incomes while I was serving. This was a successful excuse, as serving would have caused undue hardship.
ALWAYS plan for the worst, then you can be pleasantly surprised if something else happens!
"The important thing about the bear is not how well she dances, but that she dances at all." - Old Russian Proverb (with a gender change)
hope it works out for you hun
I got to the individual questioning phase in jury selection for a lawsuit about a property boundary a year or so ago. I was actually looking forward to serving, civic duty, change of pace, and so on. But, the specific lawsuit was obviously, clearly, absurdly, annoyingly frivolous, and it reminded me of a stupid lawsuit I was involved in 15 years ago. In my county, the judge asks the questions. She asked me if I'd ever been involved in a lawsuit before, and I said yes. She then asked if the experience had any affect on my respect for the legal process. I answered, "no, but it certainly diminished my respect for certain kinds of lawyers". Not only did I get a big laugh from the courtroom, but the plaintiff's attorney in the case used a summary challenge to boot me!
I was relieved, because I didn't relish having to put my own beliefs aside and determine if the plaintiff had been inflicted with serious "pain and suffering" because of an 8-inch encroachment on a property line.
If my memory has anything left to it, I believe that was Diane.
Duh? Even someone who murders someone in broad daylight in front of 10 adult sober witnesses is innocent.............until proven guilty. Perhaps that is why they were placed under arrest???? Just saying. Maybe to keep them from doing it again and again while waiting for trial??
The last time I was on jury duty they did not even excuse a county prosecuting attorney from the jury pool for an entire week. Go figure! I've always found the clerk was more agreeable to an extension than trying to tell the judge you had too much work, etc and couldn't sit for three months for a capital murder trial. If you do decide to just skip the reporting date to go to the conference make sure you call up when you get back with I just forgot excuse. That's better than having a bench warrant issued for not appearing and being hauled off to jail after being stopped en femme on a traffic stop.
My county publishes the court docket for the expected trial dates with the cause of actions/trials. You can brush up on the penal code and find some outrageous things to say about the charges levied against the defendant.
Unfortunatly, there is a wide chasm between the way the jury system is supposed to work and the way it does work. When I heard the questions being asked of prospective jurors it became apparent that the lawyers weren't interested in jurors who could impartially weigh the evidence and come to a verdict. They were much more interested in the brinksmanship of selecting jurors that would be easy to sway.
Eryn
"These girls have the most beautiful dresses. And so do I! How about that!" [Kaylee, in Firefly] [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"What do you care what other people think?" [Arlene Feynman, to her husband Richard]
"She's taller than all the women in my family, combined!" [Howard, in The Big Bang Theory]
"Tall, tall girl. The woman could hunt geese with a rake!" [Mary Cooper, in The Big Bang Theory]
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