Is it odd that I'm 33 and have never been selected for jury duty?

Seems a little odd to me. I was selected for jury duty pretty much as soon as I registered to vote. That was almost seven years ago though, and I haven’t been chosen once since then.

Hmm…I don’t know. I know people who weren’t selected until they were 50 or so. Don’t feel left out, count yourself lucky.

no im 50 and never been selected. could it be that im a foreigner?

I wasn’t ever selected for jury duty until I was 35, and then it was for a county in a another state where I hadn’t lived for three years.

My husband gets sent the summons about every 6 months, even though he is disabled and can’t serve because he can’t sit that long or stay awake long enough.

No, I think the call list is limited to a specific source, and you might not be on it. Here in Sacramento, I believe they get the names from home owners. In some places, it’s registered voters, in another, those with driver’s licenses. It’s different in every area.

Just you’re luck, I work for Criminal Court. Notice is in the mail.
sometimes we miss a few

No, it is not odd. The first time I was selected I was 37, and I had just moved out of state, so I did not need to go.

Nah, seems normal to me. My mom didn’t get selected until she was in her forties but I was selected about a month after my 18th birthday.

I honestly wouldn’t mind doing it once, just for the experience. I think I’d be a good juror. They should pick me!

@SeventhSense – Ha!

I think I may have had a few of yours, @MissAnthrope. I was called twice in Manhattan when I lived there and have been three times in Brooklyn. I’ve never gone all the way to being actually empaneled! Weird, huh?

Damn. I was 19 the first time I was selected, and there were three other people from my high school class there with me.

I was 36 before they called me.

I ended up being foreman of the jury because I “kept making sure everyone had a chance to speak.” I said “it’s just that I couldn’t hear some people and thought others might not have been able to either.”

They said “your sitting at the head of the table.” I said “it’s so I can reach the free soda without getting up.”

True story.

I’m 42 years old, and have never been called. Damn it.

Once you get on their radar you’ll wish you never uttered these regrets.

No it’s not odd my moms older than that and she’s hasn’t been called to do jury duty.

To be selected for jury duty, isn’t it required that you’re not only registered to vote, but that you have voted at least once? I remember hearing that somewhere, but I don’t know if it’s true or false.

I have never gotten one, and my husband gets summoned ALL the time!!

Funny thing is, he never gets picked…first, his father was the public defender for the county for many many years (and they share the same name), second, he’s had DUI convictions, so that usually knocks him out of the running as well. But, usually he just claims sole provider and can’t miss work so he gets excused before he even has to show up.

@DrasticDreamer I’ve voted in every election since I was old enough.

@SeventhSense I feel like I’m missing out on doing my civic duty. It might be boring, or awful, but I sort of feel… incomplete. I want to serve at least once! Plus, I think I’d be a good juror, too.

@augustlan – Yeah, I feel the same way. I mean, it’s my civic duty and all. I also have voted in nearly every election (I think I may have missed a couple due to being out of the country or in the process of moving).

@MissAnthrope Too bad you’re moving out of the area… we could have marched into the state courthouse together and demanded our turn!

According to wikipedia: A common method for drafting jurors is to draw them at random from electoral rolls (known as allotment or sortition), lists of licensed drivers, or other broad-based lists of residents in the community (e.g., tax rolls, public utility consumers). Increasingly, courts combine multiple lists to compile the master jury list. In the U.S., the most common combination of source-lists is registered voters and licensed drivers — employed in 19 states.

Where I live, they notify you your name has been selected, and you have to phone in every day for a week to see if you have been picked. I am 66 and I have only been picked twice, once I actually got on a jury, the third day after reporting, and the other time, I had to go down and sit in the jury selection room every day for the whole week, but never got picked.

Here in Texas we are a “Motor Voter” state, meaning they use the Driver’s License list to find you.

The first time I was called I was in my 50’s. And I was selected so I served—and it was a three week case. And it was a humdinger. So, be patient. Your time will come.

@skfinkel Ooh, that gives me hope!

I got my first jury summons at 35 and I still haven’t been chosen to sit on one.

Hopefully I will be retired if I ever get chosen. I can’t afford to not work.

That’s the weird thing about the driver’s license part…my husband had his suspended for over 4 years, why would his get repeatedly picked?
still being bitter about not getting picked. lol

It is a good experience. It’s a chance to see how the process works, something I think every citizen should know, and it’s a way to do your part in our system of government, of which the judiciary is a part.

I’ve been empaneled twice and was chosen as foreman both times, the first when I was just over 30. Both were frustrating experiences. The second time I came away with this thought above all: I don’t ever want what happens to me or anyone close to me to rest in the hands of a jury like that bunch of clowns.

My mom would love to do Jury duty. She’s 83 and has never been called. :-(

@MissAnthrope Questions like this are just tempting fate. Never been selected, knock on wood?

lol, It’s pretty sad when they choose crazy over sane…lol also I’ve never voted

@Judi – Oh, wow! So, augustlan and I could potentially go forever and never be summoned. I feel for your mom.

@Haleth – I really don’t mind doing it, though I admit I don’t think I would enjoy being one of those people they pester twice a year for it. It seems odd to me that they would call some people a lot and some people never. Isn’t there a better way to spread it around evenly?

@tyrantxseries ha ha ha you’re an ass

I’m 35, and I’ve never been selected for jury duty. Well, once I got a letter instructing me to show up for jury duty, but we’d moved and the letter was from the county we’d previously lived in. I called and they said not to come after all. My husband has never been selected for jury duty either, and he’s just a little younger than me.

I wouldn’t mind it all that much, but probably because I’ve watched too many episodes of Law and Order. I know that being on a real jury would most likely be boring and a big hassle, but I’d still show up and hope like hell to see some courtroom drama!

I am 36 and never been selected, so I don’t think it’s terribly unusual.

Most people I know have never been selected. My parents are in their 70s and neither of them has been, I’m 43 and neither have I.