Jury Duty

[TalonStrike]

How does jury duty work? Are you eligible for jury duty because you have voted in elections? Or do they determine your eligibility for just duty in some other way? I don't see how these people could serve on a jury for months on end like that. Don't they have jobs? Would they even get paid anything for being on the jury? Wouldn't your boss dislike having their employee not showing up to work for an indefinite period of time? Also, how could you get out of jury duty? I honestly believe it is ridiculous, and I wouldn't want to bother with that nonsense. There are some cases, like the Casey Anthony case, where I would go into it having the attitude that she 100% did it, and no one is going to convince me otherwise. Wouldn't that make me biased? Aren't juries supposed to be fair and impartial? Could you get out of jury duty by showing that you are strongly biased in favor of a certain outcome?

 

[Corporate Thug]

How does jury duty work?

You report on the date of your summons (some counties ask you call ahead of time) and either you are empaneled or your aren't.

Are you eligible for jury duty because you have voted in elections? Or do they determine your eligibility for just duty in some other way?

Nothing to do with voting...your in the county registrar as someone who lives in the County.

I don't see how these people could serve on a jury for months on end like that. Don't they have jobs? Would they even get paid anything for being on the jury? Wouldn't your boss dislike having their employee not showing up to work for an indefinite period of time?

You get a small stipend. I think it's like $15/day in LA County. Your employer is (generally) not obligated to pay you for jury duty but they likewise cannot retaliate against you for serving.


Also, how could you get out of jury duty?

Various hardships apply. Check w/ your County.

 

[p0nd]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_duty

jesus when the hell did they put all of this easily accessible information on the internet, i swear that it wasn't there yesterday

 

[TalonStrike]

$15 a day? WTF? I get paid more than that for each hour I work. That's BS.

 

[Capt Caveman]

OP = Jedi's younger brother

 

[Engineer]

$15 a day? WTF? I get paid more than that for each hour I work. That's BS.

Generally, your employer gives you PAID time off for jury duty. My last employer gave me up to two weeks of paid time off for jury duty.

 

[Fern]

How does jury duty work? Are you eligible for jury duty because you have voted in elections? Or do they determine your eligibility for just duty in some other way?

Yes, in every state I've lived in they go off eligible voter roles.

Merely living in the county is not sufficient. You must be a US citizen and not a minor.

I don't see how these people could serve on a jury for months on end like that. Don't they have jobs? Would they even get paid anything for being on the jury? Wouldn't your boss dislike having their employee not showing up to work for an indefinite period of time? Also, how could you get out of jury duty?

There are many exceptions for 'hardship'. E.g., medical condition and being self-employed ect.

I honestly believe it is ridiculous, and I wouldn't want to bother with that nonsense. There are some cases, like the Casey Anthony case, where I would go into it having the attitude that she 100% did it, and no one is going to convince me otherwise. Wouldn't that make me biased? Aren't juries supposed to be fair and impartial? Could you get out of jury duty by showing that you are strongly biased in favor of a certain outcome?

Obviously both sides want jurors who are sympathic to their case, whether that be prosecution or defense. Equally obvious is that both sides want to exclude potential jurors who are biased in favor of the otherside. If you admit to bias chances are quite high you will not be selected for the jury.

Fern

 

[Corporate Thug]

Generally, your employer gives you PAID time off for jury duty. My last employer gave me up to two weeks of paid time off for jury duty.

Depends on the employer. This is no obligation to do so for non-exempt employees

http://www.employeradvice.com/public/2025.cfm

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Jury duty is an important part of living in a free society. Too many people act as though it's an unnecessary hardship which is simply mind-boggling to me. What if you were accused of a crime you didn't commit? How would you feel about a trial by jury then?

Anyway, I've only been summoned for jury duty once (not including the time where I was summoned by a county in which I no longer lived). I spent 45 minutes in the jury selection room with a couple hundred people, watched a short movie about the importance of jury duty and what could be expected, and then we were told that all trials had been resolved and we could go home. Got $10 from the court plus a full day's pay from work for what amounted to being virtually the whole day off. Not a bad deal at all.

Although I really wish I had actually ended up on a jury for some fashionable crime like a serial killer or an arsonist. That would've been pretty cool.

 

[TalonStrike]

Yes, in every state I've lived in they go off eligible voter roles.

Merely living in the county is not sufficient. You must be a US citizen and not a minor.




There are many exceptions for 'hardship'. E.g., medical condition and being self-employed ect.



Obviously both sides want jurors who are sympathic to their case, whether that be prosecution or defense. Equally obvious is that both sides want to exclude potential jurors who are biased in favor of the otherside. If you admit to bias chances are quite high you will not be selected for the jury.

Fern

Good. I'll just admit that I'm biased then.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Jury duty is an important part of living in a free society. Too many people act as though it's an unnecessary hardship which is simply mind-boggling to me. What if you were accused of a crime you didn't commit? How would you feel about a trial by jury then?

Anyway, I've only been summoned for jury duty once (not including the time where I was summoned by a county in which I no longer lived). I spent 45 minutes in the jury selection room with a couple hundred people, watched a short movie about the importance of jury duty and what could be expected, and then we were told that all trials had been resolved and we could go home. Got $10 from the court plus a full day's pay from work for what amounted to being virtually the whole day off. Not a bad deal at all.

Although I really wish I had actually ended up on a jury for some fashionable crime like a serial killer or an arsonist. That would've been pretty cool.

would you have the same view if your employer didn't pay you?

 

[SamQuint]

Some employers do pay for a certain amount of days. Mine pays for 10. Some government workers get their full salary paid even on jury duty for an unlimited number of days. I talked with one guy that spent several months on jury duty and felt it was the best vacation from his job that he ever had.:\

 

[GagHalfrunt]

How does jury duty work? Are you eligible for jury duty because you have voted in elections? Or do they determine your eligibility for just duty in some other way?

In my state it's voting lists, car tax list, income tax list, property tax list. If you vote here, drive here, live here or work here you're eligible to be called.

I don't see how these people could serve on a jury for months on end like that. Don't they have jobs? Would they even get paid anything for being on the jury? Wouldn't your boss dislike having their employee not showing up to work for an indefinite period of time? Also, how could you get out of jury duty? I honestly believe it is ridiculous, and I wouldn't want to bother with that nonsense.

For VERY long trials like that it's common to be excused for work conflict. Anything under a week and you don't have an excuse. For month long trials the court usually shows leniency and goes for unemployed/retiree types.

There are some cases, like the Casey Anthony case, where I would go into it having the attitude that she 100% did it, and no one is going to convince me otherwise. Wouldn't that make me biased? Aren't juries supposed to be fair and impartial? Could you get out of jury duty by showing that you are strongly biased in favor of a certain outcome?

Yes, if you can show you're biased you can be excused for THAT trial. It doesn't get you out of jury duty entirely, only the specific case where you have a problem. You then go back into the jury pool and can be selected for a different trial.

 

[Aikouka]

I had jury duty after getting laid off from work, but my place of employment did have jury duty as a valid leave of absence and you were paid for it. The only negative aspect of it for me was getting up so early to make sure I got there on time (I had never actually been to the courthouse before... strange, I know).

I was a bit disappointed that I never got called up. It was a drunk driving case, and the best part was when one of the attorneys was grilling potential jurors. The attorney asked if they knew what driving under the influence meant (in the state of New York). I think he went through about 5 answers that were all completely wrong. I was still in the "audience", but I got tired of it and raised my hand. The attorney joked that unfortunately I couldn't answer, but I'd get my turn eventually.

Fortunately and somewhat unfortunately, the guy pleaded guilty after lunch. I was tempted to use it as a soapbox to talk about how a static BAC level doesn't seem to make sense given tolerance levels. Of course, even with that, I'd have no issues with if (defendant.getBAC() > .08) then defendant.setGuilt(true);

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

TalonStrike, you and a few others here need to learn jury duty, is not an onus, it is a responsibility of being a citizen. Unless, you're happy to accept whatever those in authority want to do with you, as a citizen, you must participate in your governance. Voting is only ONE of the ways to do this. Jury duty is only ONE of the ways to do this.

Is jury duty an inconvenience? Yes, it frequently is. I always go with the idea of getting out of the duty until I hear some of the lamest excuses known to man and I find I'm ashamed to be in the same room with these low lifes.

You don't have to like it, you just have to do it. You know, being a real human being sucks sometimes.

 

[BoomerD]

Generally, your employer gives you PAID time off for jury duty. My last employer gave me up to two weeks of paid time off for jury duty.

I wish...I've had two jobs that paid you for jury duty...and both required you to sign over your jury duty pay from the county.

MOST of the jobs I had, if you got called for jury duty, you MIGHT not have a job when you got back...the work has to be done...and if you're not there, they call the hall and get someone else.

This thread reminds me though...I have to call in tomorrow evening for jury duty. Even if I have to report, it's highly unlikely that I'll get picked to serve. There's just something about a felony record that gets you excused.
MOST of the time, I simply send back the form with an explanation about my criminal history. This time, I though, since they went through the trouble of sending yet another jury summons...I'd actually appear...and hope they excuse me.
I COULD just go on a rant...

"I'm an ex-con and I hate cops and lawyers. I've never met an honest one yet."

OR

"According to the minds of ATOT, I'm a fucking racist bigot. Since that MUST be true, then the accused MUST be guilty. We all know how those minorities lie!
wait...who lies more...the cops or the minorities?"

OR

"Your honor, I'm a firm believer in jury nullification. If chosen to serve, I will make it my personal goal to make sure that the defendant is found not guilty."

Whatcha think? Will Boomer end up in jail for contempt?

 

[BeauJangles]

The last time I had jury duty (2006), I actually got picked for a trial. It took three days at the end of my summer before I went back to college and it was a great experience. Actually seeing courtroom proceedings is fascinating and it really does feel good to be part of something.

I can see why people would freak if they might be selected for a six month murder trial, but I really wish people would have a more open mind about jury duty in general.

 

[duragezic]

I've never gotten a notice yet and I'm 26. I wouldn't really have a problem with it but it seems most times I hear about it from others, they go there and sit around for a couple of hours then just get sent home because they weren't selected or something. So yeah I guess it's my duty and I'd do it, but don't waste my time.

 

[7window]

TalonStrike, you and a few others here need to learn jury duty, is not an onus, it is a responsibility of being a citizen. Unless, you're happy to accept whatever those in authority want to do with you, as a citizen, you must participate in your governance. Voting is only ONE of the ways to do this. Jury duty is only ONE of the ways to do this.

Is jury duty an inconvenience? Yes, it frequently is. I always go with the idea of getting out of the duty until I hear some of the lamest excuses known to man and I find I'm ashamed to be in the same room with these low lifes.

You don't have to like it, you just have to do it. You know, being a real human being sucks sometimes.

My wife and I get called every other year. It never fails. It is so dumb and we hate it.

 

[Rage187]

Talon, WWYBYWB?

 

[Ryland]

I have been to jury duty once, got picked for an insurance trial and ended up as the jury foreman. It was an interesting experience overall. Employers aren't required to pay employees for jury duty but luckily my job did and even let me keep the whopping $15/day extra.

 

[gorcorps]

How does jury duty work?

You report on the date of your summons (some counties ask you call ahead of time) and either you are empaneled or your aren't.

Are you eligible for jury duty because you have voted in elections? Or do they determine your eligibility for just duty in some other way?

Nothing to do with voting...your in the county registrar as someone who lives in the County.

I don't see how these people could serve on a jury for months on end like that. Don't they have jobs? Would they even get paid anything for being on the jury? Wouldn't your boss dislike having their employee not showing up to work for an indefinite period of time?

You get a small stipend. I think it's like $15/day in LA County. Your employer is (generally) not obligated to pay you for jury duty but they likewise cannot retaliate against you for serving.


Also, how could you get out of jury duty?

Various hardships apply. Check w/ your County.

Not totally true. Many counties use voter registration lists to pull their jurors from. I'm not sure why, but they feel people who vote on the law and lawmakers have a better chance of agreeing with and upholding said laws in the proper fashion.

Also, to add on to the other discussions... it's not always true that you get a chance to show your bias or that they even care in all cases. In one instance I took their little survey where I promptly filled out how I disagree with many of the drug laws and some traffic shenanigans. I felt the law system rarely works and generally doesn't get the job done. It didn't matter. I got through initial selection and got as far as into the court room. Found out it was about some little kid who had a BB gun and may have winged somebody's car or something like that. Either way there were several chances for me to be let go but it didn't happen. The ONLY thing that did save me was that at the time I was a paid employee of our campus security, which counts as law enforcement. That's grounds for juror exclusion if the defense lawyer chooses, which she did. Wasted hours of my fucking life when they could have told me that because of who I worked with I should just not come in.

 

[Poulsonator]

I'll been called quite a few times, and served on a jury once. Was voted foreman as well, and I did enjoy the change from my normal job. No problems with my job, they paid me in full. The hours suck, as you had to be at the courtroom early and you usually left at 5.

I got yet another summons for the 25th of July. I now live in a smaller county, so I'm sure I'll be on the jury again.

 

[IGBT]

it's your civic duty..unless you have hemorrhoids.

 

[BoomerD]

Bah...I called in to check my status...
"You do not have to report. Thank you for participating."