Jury Duty

[bigj3347]

Just wondering what I have to do. My group number is called to report on Tuesday after President's Day. Is it mostly just waiting?? Also, can I bring my ipod and textbook to study for my exams while we wait? my lectures are recorded on my ipod so i'd like to be able to listen to the lectures while i study. Will they let me have it?? I live in Cali, btw.

 

[quakefiend420]

i dunno bout the ipod...feel sorry for you, though

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: bigj3347
Just wondering what I have to do. My group number is called to report on Tuesday after President's Day. Is it mostly just waiting?? Also, can I bring my ipod and textbook to study for my exams while we wait? my lectures are recorded on my ipod so i'd like to be able to listen to the lectures while i study. Will they let me have it?? I live in Cali, btw.

I did jury duty a few years ago, when I was 18, in Connecticut. At our jury duty place, you sit in a big room with chairs and they call people during the day. Sometimes you have to go multiple days. I think I went twice. They called my name, gave me a short interview, and selected me for the case. I turned 19 partway through the case (i.e. not cool). I'd never heard of anyone else getting called that young, but oh well, I guess I'm set for the next six years or so.

I'm sure you can bring your ipod and textbook. You usually chill and read a newspaper or watch tv while you wait anyway, and they usually have vending machines there for snacks.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Not sure about the iPod, the book definitely will be okay. You go, you check in, you get a speech (probably) about doing your duty and you wait. You might get called for something right away, you might sit in the jury room all day and never leave. You might be out at noon if the docket is light, they might keep you there until 3pm or even until 5 if it's a busy day. Then again you might be in the first group called, go through voir dire and be assigned to a trial by 10am.

 

[PowerEngineer]

It's possible that every juristiction is different, but I brought my laptop to the waiting room when my number was called for two days out of the two week period. You hang around in the waiting room for an hour or more while the day's cases are lined up. If the case you're there for gets pleaded out, they'll release you. If the case goes forward, you'll go into the court room and be interviewed. If you're rejected, you go home too.

Have fun...

 

[bigj3347]

So you just sit there all day until you get called in for an interview?? I just turned 19, I'd think that they'd want older and more experienced ppl serving as jurors.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Kaido

I did jury duty a few years ago, when I was 18, in Connecticut. At our jury duty place, you sit in a big room with chairs and they call people during the day. Sometimes you have to go multiple days. I think I went twice. They called my name, gave me a short interview, and selected me for the case. I turned 19 partway through the case (i.e. not cool). I'd never heard of anyone else getting called that young, but oh well, I guess I'm set for the next six years or so.

You're set for three years in Connecticut. You might go through the rest of your life and never be called again, the exemption for past service expires in 3 years.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: bigj3347
So you just sit there all day until you get called in for an interview?? I just turned 19, I'd think that they'd want older and more experienced ppl serving as jurors.

Don't count on it. Once you're 18 you're fair game. They're not going to excuse you or refuse you in voir dire just because of your age.

 

[Baked]

People who get call to sit in the jury panel for questioning are randomly drawn. If you don't wanna be a juror but got called, just go up there and tell the judge you believe in death penalty and those found guilty should be executed by lynching the next day.

 

[Spencer278]

I don't see why you could bring your Ipod. Whats the worst they could do? not pick you for jury duty?

 

[ghostman]

You don't want to bring your ipod because they call out your name. If you miss your name, you'll end up wasting the rest of the day sitting there, the court guys will think you skipped out and you'll end up getting another jury duty request soon after.

I went, sat there for the entire day reading magazines (surprisingly, they had two copies of Gear, but I didn't touch it for fear of where it may have been) and was given my certificate at the end of the day for having "served." Some people get told to come back the next day.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Kaido

I did jury duty a few years ago, when I was 18, in Connecticut. At our jury duty place, you sit in a big room with chairs and they call people during the day. Sometimes you have to go multiple days. I think I went twice. They called my name, gave me a short interview, and selected me for the case. I turned 19 partway through the case (i.e. not cool). I'd never heard of anyone else getting called that young, but oh well, I guess I'm set for the next six years or so.

You're set for three years in Connecticut. You might go through the rest of your life and never be called again, the exemption for past service expires in 3 years.

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

 

[bigj3347]

anyone know how many years the jury exemption is for California?

 

[Kaido]

Actually, the case itself was boring. It was a civil case, not criminal. I didn't know anything about the court system at the time, other than lawyers wear suits and sue people. It turned out to be really boring, I found myself nodding off a couple times. The lawyers acted like children and would start arguing with each other, and we'd have to go into our deliberation room and wait for the judge to tell them to shape up all the time. I spent about two weeks or so there and they told me I was an alternate at the end and that I could go home. All that time and I didn't even get to help make the final decision (which was good, because it was a confusing case - car accident). They said they'd call me with the verdict but never did. Oh well.

 

[Baked]

Originally posted by: bigj3347
anyone know how many years the jury exemption is for California?

1 year in Cali. I've done it 3 times... or was it 4? Never got call to sit on jury panel.

 

[Yossarian]

what courthouse are you going to? I went to Compton in November and it was pretty pleasant. they had some videos that everyone watched to explain the whole process.

if you don't get called for a case on that first day your service is over. make sure you get the piece of paper that says you were there. you may get called for a trial, you'll go to a court room and they'll decide if they want you for the jury. if they don't want you, you go back to the waiting room and you might get called again. if you get on a jury you have to stay for the duration of the trial.