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Jury Duty

dtak84

dtak84

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Any of you look forward to jury duty?

I'm sitting in the jury room... have at least 5 hrs till we start getting dismissed. I feel like I'm in a kind of reverse lottery/contest. When they're reading out panelists, I don't want to get picked, and as the list nears the end, my adrenaline picks up. Weird but exciting.

On another note, the wedge guy selected my question this morning for his column today at oobgolf and so I get an Eidolon wedge. Let's make a deal/new wedge = lucky day? Jury duty = unlucky day? :bulgy-eyes:
 
I've only been on jury duty twice in the past 28 years of being eligible. The first time I was dismissed after the first day of waiting; the second time I was chosen for Grand Jury. Grand Jury was interesting and much faster-paced than what I expected. I did have a heated exchange with an ADA over the way she spoke to us, but other than that it was a great experience.
 
I might be in the minority on this one but I have been called for jury duty twice and was dissappointed that I didn't get to be on a jury.

Congrats on the wedge.
 
I also don`t mind being chosen for jury duty, it is just the time required is very difficult for a farmer.
 
This past year I actually got selected as an alternate on a 5 day murder trial. I actually found it pretty interesting and because I was an alternate I didn't have to sit through the 2 day deliberations...
 
I haven't had the opportunity (knock on wood) to actually serve on a jury, but I have been summoned 4 times already!! Unfortunately, my work pays unlimited jury duty time :angry:
 
Haven't had to do it just yet. Although the Fed courthouse downtown called me a few months ago to 'see if my info was still accurate' so I suspect I'm on the short list for a fed case.
 
I'm lucky, I get called almost every year, some years twice (city and county)

My brother's never been called. How does that work out?


I take my book, smuggle in some snacks, and spend the day keeping to myself. It's kind of peaceful. I've sat on a few jury's, most of them were goofball cases; speeding, stolen bassboat, assault.
 
I wonder on what basis you're picked for jury duty :confused2: If you're registered to vote?? Driver's license??
 
Re:Jury Duty

i have only been called once and i was fortunate to be the very first name called in the ver first group called. we never even made it into the courtroom we got as far as the door and then we were told we could go home the defendants made a deal already and we werent needed.



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I have been on 8 juries so far. Most of the time it is a fun thing, watching how the lawyers work, how some of the witnesses talk. Hearing about how a crime came about. Three of the juries I have been on were federal trials. In all 8 trials we have found the poor guy/women guilty, but not on all counts for some of them. Best one was DEA case. Some of the government's witnesses should have been in jail themselves. Was a juror in a murder conspiracy trial. I did not know folks like that existed. One of the jurors did not want to convict because the murderer killed the wrong guy. The rest of us persuaded him otherwise after 9 days of deliberation. $200, and a 30 year old Ford van was payment rendered to have a guy killed. :banghead:
 
Golf Chick said:
I wonder on what basis you're picked for jury duty :confused2: If you're registered to vote?? Driver's license??
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I think in Ohio it use to be if you were registered to vote you were entered into the "lottery" for Jury Duty. I'm not sure if it's still that way or not.
 
Golf Chick said:
I wonder on what basis you're picked for jury duty :confused2: If you're registered to vote?? Driver's license??
Click to expand...

Each state is different....voter registration, driver lic # lottery, etc
 
Golf Chick said:
I wonder on what basis you're picked for jury duty :confused2: If you're registered to vote?? Driver's license??
Click to expand...

bogeyme said:
I think in Ohio it use to be if you were registered to vote you were entered into the "lottery" for Jury Duty. I'm not sure if it's still that way or not.
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In Kansas it used to be done off of the list of registered voters. But at least 25 years ago, maybe longer, it started being done off your driver's license. I suppose they also use state-issued ID cards. That's how it ought to be done. I know of people who didn't register to vote just because they didn't want to be called for jury duty. (Two were the owners of the printing company I worked for after I got out of college! Imagine a business owner who CHOSE not to vote! Could explain why the company went under.)

I have been called three times. The first time I was in the last cutdown on a "Burning Bed" type of murder case (abused wife killed her husband). That was around 1988 or so. Then in the mid '90s I was called but dismissed by noon on the first day. Two years ago I served on a case where there was a fight at a bar and a guy used a beer bottle on another guy (who happened to be a cop's kid). Ended up being a hung jury. Saw the judge at a golf course last summer, reintroduced myself and asked him if he knew whatever happened afterwards. The guy ended up pleading out.

Jury duty is awesome and if you are not self-employed or would be otherwise inconvenienced by serving, you shouldn't try to get out of it. I know someone who did try once. Told the attorneys he was sure the person of color did it just because of his color, among other things. They dismissed him all right. But just from that case. They had him sit in the jury pool from 8:00 to 5:00 the rest of the week. So he still had to show up.
 
Golf Chick said:
I wonder on what basis you're picked for jury duty :confused2: If you're registered to vote?? Driver's license??
Click to expand...

Any way that they have a record of your current address can be used to populate the lottery. I've lived in this county in Colorado for 31 years, yet I've only received one jury summons (about a year ago), and I didn't even have to go. In Colorado, you call in the day before you are summoned to appear. They determine by the number of cases scheduled for court how many of the notified people might actually be needed, and the rest are excused. My number didn't get selected, so getting the card in the mail was my entire jury experience to date.

I know people who have lived here for less than 5 years and have been called more than once already. Doesn't make much sense. :confused2:
 
I have only been called one time and was quickly dismissed after filling out the questionnaire. Something about putting down I am an attorney and that I worked for a year during law school in the district attorney's office makes me undesirable to the defense in criminal trials and I worked for several years defending companies and people in civil litigation.
 
Ive been on a trial once and without a doubt I get called in every year and a half. I hate it.
 
I've only been in on a jury deliberation once, and all I could say was that I'd hate to have had most of the other jurors deciding my fate. It was a possession charge; the defendant dropped the (bright blue) bag when the cops pulled up. Despite the judge's charge about not needing physical possession, most people couldn't get that if they guy didn't have the drugs IN HIS HAND when the cops got to him, it was still possession. That said, it's part of being a citizen--you do it.
 
It's probably different in most if not all states, but in Texas...

The selection is completely random out of everyone who has a driver's license and can vote. Even if you're not registered, you can still be picked.

Once selected, you have to show up. You get fined if you don't.

If you get selected to a jury, you are exempt from showing up for the next 3 yrs. If you don't get selected for a jury, you could be randomly selected again as soon as you leave.

In my case, 700+ jurors (might be incorrect wording here. People who go into a pool to get selected for a jury) are needed for all the cases today. Only 400 people can be summoned here per day. So, chances are good that if you don't get selected for one jury, you'll be in the running for another.
 
I love getting jury duty..it's better than a day at work.It's the fellow jurors who are bored or feel put out by being there; who don't listen to testimony and feel that if someone is on trail they're guilty that makes me angry.
 
dtak84 said:
It's probably different in most if not all states, but in Texas...

The selection is completely random out of everyone who has a driver's license and can vote. Even if you're not registered, you can still be picked.

Once selected, you have to show up. You get fined if you don't.

If you get selected to a jury, you are exempt from showing up for the next 3 yrs. If you don't get selected for a jury, you could be randomly selected again as soon as you leave.

In my case, 700+ jurors (might be incorrect wording here. People who go into a pool to get selected for a jury) are needed for all the cases today. Only 400 people can be summoned here per day. So, chances are good that if you don't get selected for one jury, you'll be in the running for another.
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Similar to that here in Alabama they go by driver's license, if you do not show up they will send a deputy sheriff to bring you into court an fined.

I have been summoned twice for the Federal Grand Jury. For the federal you have a summon sheet with a phone number you call 48 hours before you are to show up you get a recorded massage that if your number on your summons is a certain group you have to show up if not your are off the hook for a year. It's the same for the local courts if I'm not mistaken.
 
scott_d said:
I have only been called one time and was quickly dismissed after filling out the questionnaire. Something about putting down I am an attorney and that I worked for a year during law school in the district attorney's office makes me undesirable to the defense in criminal trials and I worked for several years defending companies and people in civil litigation.
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Similar situation here, most my family is in law enforcement, attorneys or judges, so I get the kick pretty fast.
 
Can you wear jeans to jury duty or is it like business casual attire?
 
Golf Chick said:
Can you wear jeans to jury duty or is it like business casual attire?
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I wore jeans when I was younger but this last one I wore slacks. I don't think they care what you wear as long as it's not rags. Kind of like church, as long as you go.
 
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