What’s it like to serve jury duty?

I have received three jury duty summons, two of them when I called to the office of the clerk using “my code” the night before my date. I was told my services weren’t required over the phone. The third time I went through two days of going through “Voir Dire” which is the process by which attorneys select jurors. Lunch time on the second day with four of still waiting for the lawyers to talk to us; we were told the case was, “Settled out of court”. We went home.

I was picked using the state drivers license listings, how did they pick you if you have one? ? ?

I wouldn’t try to get out of it. You take your turn. In the unlikely event you go to trial, you will want other good people to show up and give you a fair hearing.

Anyway, sorry for the lecture…

My advice is take a book. You sit around a lot.

I’ve been called four times. Three times I sat in big room with a few dozen people for about six hours. Then someone said, “we don’t need any more jurors today, thank you” and we were given checks for (I think) about $14.00.

One time I was called up to the next step – 50 of us were impaneled, meaning we were sent to a courtroom for a particular trial. It was a murder trial. We were in the spectator seats.

One by one we were directed up to the jury box. The judge, prosecutors, and defense lawyers asked us questions. Name, occupation, have you ever been on a jury, have you or your family been victim of a crime, have you been arrested, do you associate with cops or others in the legal system, etc.

For whatever reason one side or the other kicked me out of the pool and I was done.

I’m curious to know process of selection of people for jury duty. Can someone shed light upon this?

Take something to keep you occupied, a book, knitting, your smart phone. The process for selection varies considerably among jurisdictions and between civil and criminal trials. I’d be very interested if you would be willing to take notes on your experience & report back to us.

The case isn’t until Nov. 14. I have also heard when you call the night before, they may tell you you’re not even needed, which is what I’m hoping. My partner found out he didn’t need to go when he got summoned.
I heard they pick your name from voter registration, id and driver licenses. Worst case if you just ignore the summons, you pay a hefty fine and serve possibly three days in jail.

What happens depends on whether it’s a civil or criminal case and at what level of jurisdiction, in what county or state.

I would certainly encourage you to go through the process. Not only is it a duty of citizenship but it’s also an education that one can’t get any other way.

In my experience with 4 or 5 jury calls, prospective jurors gather in a waiting area at the courthouse and eventually are either dismissed or called into a courtroom. There they fill the jury box (12 jurors and 2 alternates) and everyone has to answer certain standard questions, such as their occupation and whether they work in law enforcement. The attorneys from both sides get to challenge and excuse some number of prospective jurors, and when they finish that (which can take a while), a jury is empaneled.

Whoever’s left either gets excused or gets sent to another courtroom for possible selection, depending on the rules pertaining to that court.

I’ve been selected and served on two juries, both for criminal cases, and was chosen as foreman both times. It was an experience like no other.

One thing that I learned is that I don’t ever want my fate or that of anyone I care about to depend on the understanding, wisdom, and fair-mindedness of twelve of my fellow citizens.

I guess if jury duty was volunatry, no one would show up.

I’ve only been called once. I worked night shift, got off work and had to drive right to the courthouse. They started looking at who had reasons they couldn’t serve. It appeared they intended to start the trial right after lunch. I suggested I COULD serve, but that I wouldn’t guarantee I’d be awake through the whole thing because I had worked all night. I was excused. I’d suggest showing up and letting them know that transportation could be an issue for you.

@imrainmaker Regarding selection of people for jury duty:

1)
In the US, prospective juror lists are pulled randomly from voter or driver registration lists.The details vary by state.

2)
At the court house, prospective jurors for a trial are pulled from the people who show up that day.

3)
In the court room, prospective jurors are questioned by the judge and attorneys.

The judge can excuse people for being unqualified or for hardship. Rules on hardship are set locally. I think the trend is to be strict, very few people get excused.

The attorneys on both sides can excuse people, and they use the process to seat jurors they see as friendly to their arguments.

I served on a drug trafficking case (within a school zone no less). It was both fascinating and boring.

A lot of waiting around. Bring a book and some kind of bagged lunch. Difficulty with transportation is not an excuse. I presume there is bus service in your town.

If you want to get out of it, just do the same thing that Neil DeGrasse Tyson did:

“In 2002, having spent more than three years in one residence for the first time in my life, I got called for jury duty. I show up on time, ready to serve. When we get to the voir dire, the lawyer says to me, “I see you’re an astrophysicist. What’s that?” I answer, “Astrophysics is the laws of physics, applied to the universe—the Big Bang, black holes, that sort of thing.” Then he asks, “What do you teach at Princeton?” and I say, “I teach a class on the evaluation of evidence and the relative unreliability of eyewitness testimony.” Five minutes later, I’m on the street.

A few years later, jury duty again. The judge states that the defendant is charged with possession of 1,700 milligrams of cocaine. It was found on his body, he was arrested, and he is now on trial. This time, after the Q&A is over, the judge asks us whether there are any questions we’d like to ask the court, and I say, “Yes, Your Honor. Why did you say he was in possession of 1,700 milligrams of cocaine? That equals 1.7 grams. The ‘thousand’ cancels with the ‘milli-’ and you get 1.7 grams, which is less than the weight of a dime.” Again I’m out on the street.”

Obama reported for jury duty today.

He wasn’t chosen and was excused by noon. He’ll get $17.20.

Good news. I called and I wasn’t required to report and was excused from jury service. So I guess this means I won’t get another summons for a while.

Maybe next year. My wife has had two notifications (not jury summons) for courts in the last three years. The first she was seated as a jury member. The latest was last month basically a “stay tuned”, for any courtroom within 100 to 125 miles from our house.