Jury Duty
Have you ever served on a jury? What was your experience?
Submitted by jacolily.
I have and I was the foreperson here is my story from the blog post I wrote after day one...
jury duty - a lesson in civil duties...
I find it hard to believe there is much randomness in “random selection”…
If it were then I wouldn’t so often be randomly selected… and the folks who get called for jury duty wouldn’t be called on a regular basis…
This being the third/forth time I was called I figured I should just go.
Especially since I had managed to get out of the previous times…
One time I was called for a state I no longer lived in, even though I had changed my address; one time I got out of it claiming financial hardship (it pays a whopping $10 a day); another time I was headed out to Chicago on the dates of the jury duty and got a letter from my boss saying I should be excused; the last time before now, I got a postcard saying I was a felon for not showing up for court, two days later I got the jury summons, apparently they were using old information… So I figured this most recent time I should just go.
If it were then I wouldn’t so often be randomly selected… and the folks who get called for jury duty wouldn’t be called on a regular basis…
This being the third/forth time I was called I figured I should just go.
Especially since I had managed to get out of the previous times…
One time I was called for a state I no longer lived in, even though I had changed my address; one time I got out of it claiming financial hardship (it pays a whopping $10 a day); another time I was headed out to Chicago on the dates of the jury duty and got a letter from my boss saying I should be excused; the last time before now, I got a postcard saying I was a felon for not showing up for court, two days later I got the jury summons, apparently they were using old information… So I figured this most recent time I should just go.
So this morning I showed up… they have wireless in the jury room now – which is cool, but I was not there long when my name was called in the first round of “randomly selected” folks… (This meant I didn’t have time to go have a few beers at lunch as suggested).
While in a room with these 14 other “random selecties”, I discovered that the majority of the people had also been called prior to this time, many of them even getting on the jury for multiple cases in the past, one in a number of different states, and one woman was called to show up in Kent – NEXT WEEK!! While there are so many people that never get called…
While in a room with these 14 other “random selecties”, I discovered that the majority of the people had also been called prior to this time, many of them even getting on the jury for multiple cases in the past, one in a number of different states, and one woman was called to show up in Kent – NEXT WEEK!! While there are so many people that never get called…
Jury selection: you sit in the court room with a bunch of folks and get asked a bunch of questions:
• have you ever been to court?
• have you or a family member or close friends ever been convicted or a victim?
• have you ever been to West Seattle? (I am 100% serious)
• do you think a defendant should be required to testify?
• do you believe in presumptive innocence?
Then the layers and the judge discuss and numbers are called I was number 9 and sure enough I was called… 1 of only 6 people – of 15…
A few people told me that it is best to get on a jury early this way the likelihood of you being finished before the 3 day time period is likely.
Day one is done… and it turns out that we are pretty much the only trial on account of the short week and pretty much everyone else is likely dismissed, and done with their duty… joy and rapture…
It is all fairly interesting though…
