Jury Duty

[MotionMan]

I never understood this argument...where in the 1st amendment does it say that free speech in contingent upon the speaker fulfilling other civic duties?

It is not contingent on it. However, I personally hate it when people who do nothing complain about things they could do something about.

If you do not vote, your complaints about the government carry little weight with me.

MotionMan

 

[highland145]

I've done grand jury.. all you do is decide whether cases should even go to trial. Only did 10 days but I wouldn't mind doing that again, if only things moved along faster. We'd sit there and wait an hour before the next case would be presented, etc.

No waiting for us, thankfully. Had a low of 100 and a high of 260 cases. It is a bit of a farce though. If we don't true bill then the solicitor can direct indict anyway. Or just direct indict and skip us all together. Our foreman, on last years jury, said not once case wasn't true billed and that's holding this year too. So "The grand jury indicted" doesn't mean a whole lot here.

I have learned that if you get on the wrong side of the law, you'll be charged with everything possible to get you to plea out. Had a guy that was speeding, ran a stop sign and killed a woman. They charged him with vehicular homicide and murder. We wanted to know how they could charge both..."Because we can."

 

[Slew Foot]

id like to be on a jury but only if they pay me my normal work salary. otherwise, f that.

 

[kyrax12]

Alright well I postponed it on the website. I will report next month instead. YAY!

 

[highland145]

id like to be on a jury but only if they pay me my normal work salary. otherwise, f that.

$20/day for me so I pay more for the help covering my office. Could be worse. It's right across the street. Could have to drive to Columbia or Charleston for 2 day sessions.

 

[nageov3t]

id like to be on a jury but only if they pay me my normal work salary. otherwise, f that.

it's $5/day in Jersey, which isn't even enough to pay for parking at the Court House (no parking is provided for jurors).

 

[alkemyst]

Damn, I haven't ever worked for a company that doesn't pay me for jury duty. I have had to give them back my jury duty check at times.

 

[highland145]

it's $5/day in Jersey, which isn't even enough to pay for parking at the Court House (no parking is provided for jurors).

D:

I'll shut my mouth and take the $20.

 

[rh71]

Damn, I haven't ever worked for a company that doesn't pay me for jury duty. I have had to give them back my jury duty check at times.

it's either/or for us. They don't give you a check to begin with if you have a job that pays you.

 

[Ken g6]

I've been called once and it was canceled. It was a nice day off

I've been called twice and it was canceled both times. I never took the day off, though.

My boss seems to think I'm an idiot if I don't/can't get out of jury duty. Technically, I think it's illegal for him to encourage me to get out of jury duty, but he has in the past, anyway.

 

[Naeeldar]

it's $5/day in Jersey, which isn't even enough to pay for parking at the Court House (no parking is provided for jurors).

That's incredibly stupid. I've been summoned 3x in PA (i'm 29) and have not had to show for any of them.

Actually had a colleague of mine tell a judge when summoned that he would do whatever he had to to end this quickly because it was costing him business. I'm surprised he didn't get contempt with court for that.

 

[nageov3t]

D:

I'll shut my mouth and take the $20.

:thumbsup:

the courthouse in my county is in a pretty ghetto area, and the secure lots are like $20 for the day.

if they had a jurist parking lot, I probably wouldn't mind the experience, but it's kind of galling for them to summon you in and not even compensate for parking expenses.

 

[Strk]

tear it up and throw it away.

haven't received a jury duty request since I ignored that last one ~10 years ago. (at the time, I financially couldn't afford to even take a day off of work to plead financial hardship before the court. living paycheck to paycheck, paid by the hour, and jury compensation in NJ isn't even enough to pay for parking at the courthouse much less balance out missing days of work)

Most states have laws that require your employer to pay for the first three days at your regular rate.

And $5 a day? That sucks. At least it's $50 a day in MA.

 

[alkemyst]

Most states have laws that require your employer to pay for the first three days at your regular rate.

Depends on state though.

Also they are really cracking down on jury dodgers here. It used to be you showed up and the judge would ask "Does anyone have an obligation that may be a priority over Jury Duty or a job?" Now you don't get that option.

Also to top it off it used to be if you were selected and then not used, you could leave immediately. Now you go back into rotation for the day...you are pretty much guaranteed to be there 8 hours. They showed decent movies though. Pretty much new releases on DVD.

 

[Via]

When I got called last year there were two big cases for the week: one that involved one of the big insurance companies in town, and some sort of assault case.

When I got to the jury room they announced the jury pool for the insurance company case within 5 minutes of calling role. It was so obvious that they had pre-selected the potential jurors for that case that it was almost funny. I'm thinking the insurance company somehow got a glance at the jury list and did some research on who they wanted sitting on that case.

After that the rest of us had to watch a video on how to be a good juror, and within about ten minutes of that ending they called the jury pool for the other big case. Then they let the rest of us go.

I didn't get called again until Thursday. They made me stay for about and hour and jet me go home.

And then they asked me to donate my jury pay back to the city.

 

[FM2n]

Good timing on the thread. I report to Jury Duty tomorrow at 8:00am as well. What should I bring for entertainment? Don't say fleshlight; that went down horribly last year--thanks ATOT!

 

[nageov3t]

Most states have laws that require your employer to pay for the first three days at your regular rate.

And $5 a day? That sucks. At least it's $50 a day in MA.

so such law in Jersey.

nowadays, I'm salaried so it doesn't really matter, but I was an hourly worker the last time I was called up. no hours == no pay.

 

[dr150]

If you want out of jury duty....

Listen CLOSELY to the generalities the judge gives you about the case.

Then when they give you the questionnaire, reply in a very biased way in one lean or another, generally FOCUSED on the subject. Stay consistent and lay the replies on heavy.

They lawyers/jury firm will dismiss you right quick.

You're welcome...




<-----recently was excused (again) from showing up for Day 2 questioning ()

 

[Micrornd]

Was called twice, but only had to serve once.
It can be entertaining and enlightening, as well as eye-opening as to the things that foul and clog our legal system..

Fella was suing Hertz Truck Rentals' insurance carrier.
Seems he was hit from behind by one of their rental trucks, that just happened to be driven by a friend of his, that just happened to have fled the state. And now he had permanent injuries and mental suffering that demanded a 7 digit settlement.

Yea, a '68 Olds 88 at a dead stop, hit by a Ford box van supposedly going 40 mph, supposedly booted the Olds 100'+ down and off the I-95 exit ramp into the bushes and trees, with not so much as a broken taillight on the Olds.
Ford box van then fled the scene and was returned to Hertz with no mention of an accident.
No damage was noted to the Ford box van on the Hertz return check-in sheet either.
(If you have ever rented from Hertz, you know they are brutal on finding even a door ding to charge you for at check-in)

We sat through 4 days of testimony, doctors, photo evidence, and cross-exam, and then after a short deliberation, we asked the judge, in open court, if we could charge the plaintiff with insurance fraud.
He chuckled and asked if we had meant to say "we find the defendant not guilty". The Foreman said "Yes" and most in the courtroom snickered.

Almost forgot, one of the plaintiff's witnesses, was escorted to the court by Sheriff's Deputys, since he was in County Jail for insurance fraud

 

[stlc8tr]

If you want out of jury duty....

Listen CLOSELY to the generalities the judge gives you about the case.

Then when they give you the questionnaire, reply in a very biased way in one lean or another, generally FOCUSED on the subject. Stay consistent and lay the replies on heavy.

They lawyers/jury firm will dismiss you right quick.

You're welcome...

<-----recently was excused (again) from showing up for Day 2 questioning ()

The last jury selection pool I was in, the case was for assault. The defendant was black. The two guys who said that they had been attacked by black guys in the past were dismissed almost immediately.

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

Just mark the excuse for not speaking English and you'll get away every time.

 

[Puppies04]

Just mark the excuse for not speaking English and you'll get away every time.

Que?

 

[MotionMan]

Just mark the excuse for not speaking English and you'll get away every time.

I don't know about elsewhere, but that will not work in Los Angeles or Orange Counties, California. The judge will drill you on your English and, if they feel like it, will bring in an interpreter for the questioning.

I had a judge spend at least 30 minutes with a guy who clearly did not speak English at all before begrudgingly letting him go.

MotionMan

 

[kyrax12]

I don't know about elsewhere, but that will not work in Los Angeles or Orange Counties, California. The judge will drill you on your English and, if they feel like it, will bring in an interpreter for the questioning.

I had a judge spend at least 30 minutes with a guy who clearly did not speak English at all before begrudgingly letting him go.

MotionMan

Would marking "Can't speak English" work if one was born in the U.S?

Also, do they need jurors that badly? 0.0

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Would marking "Can't speak English" work if one was born in the U.S?

Ask the Hispanics that don't.