Jury Duty

naphinfitos · #1 06-02-2005, 04:01 PM

So I got this thing in the mail telling me I have jury duty in the middle of July. I only turned 18 in November, so I was surprised, and my initial reaction was to just throw it away. However, on the bottom it says failure to attend can result in a 100$ fine and/or 3 days in jail. I have no idea how frequently they actually punish those who don't attend, but I'll probably play it safe and go. My dilema is once I show up, how do I convince them that I'm unfit to serve on a jury. I'm not really racist at all, although pretending to be racist would probably be fun. Basically what I'm asking is how do I assure they don't choose me.

Also I'm considering going to law school once college is done. I know very little about the process of law as of now, so maybe I should just go to jury duty and try to get selected to appear on a jury.

Thanks in advance for thoughts

chaas4747 · #2 06-02-2005, 04:03 PM

Just say that you go to an internet message board to make all of your decisions. That oughta do it.

El Barto · #3 06-02-2005, 04:05 PM

Most juries are composed of middle aged parents because lawyers do not like the unpredictability of young single males. You will likely be passed over at selection time. If this is one of those one day/one trial deals, you should be fine - just bring a book to read.

Once you go, you can't be called again for a number of years. If you skip they will just call you again ASAP, only after a couple times will they threaten you with prosecution for avoiding it.

naphinfitos · #4 06-02-2005, 04:07 PM

Basically neither of my parents have ever served. I'm really more interested if people think that actually serving on a jury is a positive life experience.

jakethebake · #5 06-02-2005, 04:07 PM

Why do you want to get out of it? If you don't have any pressing business, go ahead and do it. It's not that bad. Most of the time you just in a big room and read while you wait to maybe get picked. Take HOH or something to read. Maybe you'll get lucky and get picked for some high profile jury and write a bestseller. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

ElSapo · #6 06-02-2005, 04:09 PM

First off, serve your jury duty. It's your civic duty.

That said, I got out of mine both times. It's absurdly easy, really, and anyone who tells you they "couldn't get out of it" is really saying "I didn't want to look like a dick."

If you even get to the jury selection process, there will be a series of questions to remove anyone with a bias. This isn't necessarily racism, which everyone always jokes about. Could be anything.

At the most extreme, simply tell the judge you have moral issues with judging someone.

ElSapo

shadow29 · #7 06-02-2005, 04:09 PM

My parents are lawyers and the advice they give to get out of jury duty is to ask a lot of questions. Not sure what kind of questions, but just ask a lot.

ttleistdci · #8 06-02-2005, 04:14 PM

Don't try to get out of it. Someone else already said this, but it's your duty as a citizen, not to mention one of the easiest things you'll for money all month. If you're scheduled to work that day, your employer is obligated to pay you regular wages for serving jury duty.

ElSapo · #9 06-02-2005, 04:16 PM

[ QUOTE ]
your employer is obligated to pay you regular wages for serving jury duty

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think that's entirely true.

They can deduct your jury pay from your salary, I think. Though I can't fathom a company actually -doing- this, I think it is the law.

If you're an hourly employee, I think you are screwed however since I assume the jury pay wont make up for it and McDonald's doesn't have to pay you for shifts missed, I don't believe. They just can't fire you.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong though.

ElSapo

Soul Daddy · #10 06-02-2005, 04:17 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Why do you want to get out of it? If you don't have any pressing business, go ahead and do it. It's not that bad. Most of the time you just in a big room and read while you wait to maybe get picked.

[/ QUOTE ]
Exactly. I actually enjoyed my jury time, though maybe that's because I got paid from my job as well. Read a few good books and met some interesting people.

If you are remotely interested in law, it's very +EV experience. If you are actually picked for a jury, you'll get a chance to see what kind of things influence the average person. You'll also get a chance to make arguments during deliberations. If taken seriously, you can have some fun with it.