New way to avoid Jury Duty

[StinkerBell]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0430091jury1.html

Make sure you scroll down the page and read this guys excuse.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Hmmm... glad I didn't use that one!  I sent my reply in a few weeks ago and am hoping that being the sole caretaker and teacher for three small kids is enough to get me out of it for the time being.

[rwanders]

Another method is to show up for jury duty and just before they start questioning you, say; "Bring in the guilty bastards!", or, if you prefer; "Bring in the innocent victims of the corrupt justice system."  If you can say either one while keeping a straight and serious look on your face you will be promptly excused.

[Squirl]

I believe he was held in contempt for this.

[StinkerBell]

I actually spent a week a a juror. Secretly I would love to write such a letter. I could never do it because the responsible side of me just will not allow it.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

If I didn't have little kids, I would actually like to sit on a jury.  I think it would be interesting.  Why they didn't call me in the nearly ten years before I had kids when I was an elgible juror, I'll never know...

[glenn kangiser]

I doubt they care about little kids, Homey, but we'll be waiting to see.

Unless it is an official certified return reply requested, subpoena, the requests never make it from the post office to my actual eyes....   File 13 I think it is called. 

[pagan]

I sat on a jury once and although I found it interesting I did not enjoy the experience of having someone's future in my hands. I did my civic duty, but in the future I think I'll find some reason to never do it again. I doubt I'll count the wrinkles on my dog's balls, but I'll find a reason. 

[MountainDon]

Jury duty is something any freedom loving American may be faced with at almost any time. When faced with jury duty many of us probably have the knee jerk reaction of 'how can I get out of that?' There are valid "outs" for some, such as those who make their living as home day care providers, or mothers with several young children at home and without care resources to fall back on. Personal inconvenience or dislike is not a valid reason.

I have to ask what if this was the other way around? What if for some reason, rightly or wrongly, you or I were in the position of the accused, being in the position of requiring a jury to listen, think and make a decision?

[pagan]

Don,

My experience was that all of us on that jury took it seriously and although none of us really wanted to be there, we did not allow that to cloud our judgment.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I always wanted to have the experience of sitting on a jury... but just not now when I have three small kids and need to be here to teach and take care of them.  It would violate my freedom of religion and parental rights if I had to enroll my kids in public schools just to serve on a jury, though.  Don't think it would be "fun", but interesting, and part of my civic duty.  My aunt was called in one time for jury duty, and the judge asked her if she had a Bible with her.  She answered yes.  She pulled it out of her purse and showed him, and was promptly dismissed from jury duty.  Guess she had too many "preconceived ideas" of justice.  Seems to me that it is not the people wanting to dumb down the jurors, but the judge wanting opinionless jurors who don't have any thoughts at all on the subject of justice.

[ScottA]

Don't register to vote and you won't get jury duty. There is a reason they get the names from the voter roles.

[MountainDon]

At least in NM they also take the names of prospective jurors from the drivers license database. They've been doing that for over 25 years. Thy also use the country property tax roles. Of course, then they have to make sure you are a US citizen.


Requirements are: United States citizenship, residence in district the court is in, age of 18, conversant in English, physically and mentally able to carry out the functions of a juror, no service on jury in last year, and no felony convictions, (not convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year). Exceptions can be made to excuse people whose service would negatively impact others (ER doctors, people caring for sick relatives, etc.) People with prior knowledge or bias against defense or prosecution are also excused, except in cases where prior knowledge is unavoidable (famous or sensational crimes and criminals). Inconvenience is not an excuse.

[StinkerBell]

The week I gave up serving on jury duty was not for criminal court. I got to hear to auto insurance companies lawyers cry. The whole case could have been settled out of court. It seemed to be an absolute greed issue.

[MikeC]

I'm unable to locate any constitutional requirement that a citizen must waive freedom of speech, of association, of beliefs, of the right to come and go as one pleases and of answering to no one in order to "serve" on a jury.


I would not wish to be a defendant judged by anyone who is absolutely pissed to be shanghai'd for jury "duty".

My experience is that if you WANT for some reason to be on a jury, you should refrain from mentioning anything regarding fully informed juries, and the right of jurors to judge the law as well as the facts of the case.

[pagan]

It worked for OJ and Blake. Imagine if they had waived their rights to jury trials and had only the presiding judges to rule on the evidence. They'd both be in jail for the rest of their lives.

[Pox Eclipse]

I'm unable to locate any constitutional requirement that a citizen must waive freedom of speech, of association, of beliefs, of the right to come and go as one pleases and of answering to no one in order to "serve" on a jury.

On the other hand, there is nothing in the Constitution that makes you immune from contempt of court charges.

[glenn kangiser]

A subpoena is one thing.  A fishing expedition and unofficial uncertified request is something else. 

The court up here wasted thousands of peoples time by blanket requesting nearly everyone in the county for a trial a few years ago.

If I do ever have to use a jury and am successful in my trial I will trade more than my fare share back in jury time.

[pagan]

After I moved out of NYC I got a second call for jury duty.
Here's how it went down.

I returned the letter explaining I had served within the previous two years.
They sent back a letter saying they had no records of me serving.
I sent back a copy of my jury duty form.
They sent back a letter explaining they believed it to be a forgery.
I sent back a letter explaining I no longer resided in Manhattan.
They sent back a letter requesting proof.
I sent back copies of my rent and electric bills.
They sent back a letter explaining this was inadequate proof.
I sent back a letter saying I was not coming to Manhattan.
They sent back a letter explaining they would have the State Police come and forcibly bring me to the County Courthouse in Manhattan, at my expense.
At this point I began making phone calls. After three or four people telling me to stop lying and just "...do your civic duty." One even stated, after I brought to his attention that all of my correspondence was sent from central Vermont, that I was obviously sending my letters to Vermont and having family or friends mail it from Montpelier. He further stated that since I still resided in Manhattan I should not be so upset to take a day off from work and come downtown. I asked him to check the caller ID and search where area code 802 was from. He told me I had three days to report or they'd have the State Police come get me. After asking for his supervisor I finally got someone who actually knew what to do. She explained I needed to send her a copy of an envelope that had the US Post Office forwarded mail sticker from letters that were sent to me in NYC and forwarded to my new residence in Vermont. .
Don't ask me why that's all they needed, but after I sent it directly to her I never heard from them again. Ironically the envelope I sent her was the first letter sent to me from the County Courthouse requiring me to come in for jury duty. Yup, it was sent to my old address in Manhattan and forwarded through the Postal Service. Talk about poetic...

[glenn kangiser]

Any type of acknowledgment of a non-certified subpoena will start the above events.  Somehow non-certified requests never quite make it to my eyes. Probably dropped accidentally before read as far as I know.

[bayview]

Don't register to vote and you won't get jury duty. There is a reason they get the names from the voter roles.

   In Texas, they use drivers licenses for jury duty.  If you have a license, you will sooner or later get a jury notice.

[ScottA]

I guess it's different in other places. Here in OK it's the voter registration that gets you drafted. Maybe if they didn't treat the jurors so badly they wouldn't have such a hard time finding them.

[Virginia Gent]

You wanna get outta jury duty, mention two words ... "Jury Nulification". Judges, courts, and lawyers hate a juror who is informed in his/her rights.