jury duty (again)

[KellyHabersham]

Yesterday, I received yet another summons in the mail, and because I unfortunately don't have time to get into all the details, I'm just listing a few gripes I have about this.

- it's "supposed" to be random, but I get a summons roughly every two years, and last year I got one for federal jury duty.

- if I were to be selected for a trial, I would lose a lot of money because my employer doesn't provide part-timers with any sort of paid time off.

- I don't have reliable transportation, and I can't really afford a taxi on a regular basis. ( I do get a free bus card through work, but I'd have to take several buses and the light rail to get to or from the part of town where the courthouses are)

[Andara Bledin]

Crap.

I got a jury duty summons, and I think I totally forgot to call in. >_<

My work doesn't pay, either, but at least I have a car and the local courthouse is about 1/2 a mile from my house.

^-.-^

[Rebel]

The only time (so far) that I received a summons for jury duty I was unfortunately in another country.

[Greenday]

The only time I've been called, I was in a different state for school and had no way to make it home.

[gremcint]

My sister was called for jury duty before she was 18

[HYHYBT]

I wish they'd call me. I've been called three times: once, I got picked for a trial that lasted the morning. Interesting experience. Second time, there turned out to be nothing for us to do; when I got there, they were handing out checks and sending people home. The other, I was called in the wrong county, and didn't find out about it until it was too late anyway. (Nothing ever came of that.)

Meanwhile, I *enjoy* serving on a jury and have nothing on my schedule I couldn't move around. Why do they prefer to call people who hate it and have no time? They could at least have a system where people could volunteer, and only go to the draft when none suitable are available that way.

[anakhouri]

In my state you can plead hardship and get out of it. My employer doesn't pay even full-timers for jury duty, so it got to the point when my co-workers were called they would go to the judge and just say where they worked and he would say, "You're off, and tell >business owner< to start paying you guys for jury duty already!"

[bara]

Remember, if ever charged with a crime your fate may be decided by people not smart enough to get out of jury duty.*

*just something I read once that I found amusing, I am in no way attempting to insult anyone who gets or has jury duty. I consider trial by jury a right and thank those who have served on a jury.

[Andara Bledin]

I know too much about the law to ever get put on a jury. >_>

^-.-^

[Greenday]

I know too much about the law to ever get put on a jury. >_>

^-.-^

I feel like most defense attorneys wouldn't want me there.

[gremcint]

I've never been called, depended what was going on when I got called I don't think I'd mind too much, I believe everyone should have their day in court and the defence needs to be heard.

[Andara Bledin]

Oh, hey, it looks like my summons isn't for 2 weeks. I didn't miss it after all.

^-.-^

[blas87]

One scumbag defense attorney already wanted me nowhere near that jury that I was part of a pool for.

Now that it's been long over, if I never explained it before, it was for this one man's like 3rd or 4th DUI. This obviously was not disclosed immediately, I looked it up later on. They just said it was for a DUI. When the attorneys were questioning potential jurors and trying to weed out who they didn't want, I happened to be a person of interest because I asked how many DUIs this guy already had, and his scumbag lawyer told me "That's not relevant right now," to which I answered back that it was very relevant, because it'd be very hard to be impartial to someone who may already have several previous offenses.

And with that, the slimeball asked the judge to dismiss me, and of course, I was dismissed.

Retard was found guilty that day. But, all he really had was himself, and his doofus attorney........versus the District Attorney, the arresting officer, a nurse from the hospital where his blood was drawn, and a witness whom I am assuming he either hit with a vehicle or got into something with.

[draco664]

... because I asked how many DUIs this guy already had, and his scumbag lawyer told me "That's not relevant right now," to which I answered back that it was very relevant, because it'd be very hard to be impartial to someone who may already have several previous offenses.

And with that, the slimeball asked the judge to dismiss me, and of course, I was dismissed.

Technically, he's right, and the judge agreed with him. A trial is supposed to be about the specific charges brought, and the evidence for same. A jury is supposed to weigh what is presented to them about the actual charges, not history.

Past offences should only be considered when sentencing is conducted.

A question, why did you describe the DUI chap's lawyer as a scumbag/slimeball? Because in your post he did nothing beyond what any good lawyer should be doing - looking after his client's interests. (Except for the fact that he was going to trial with nothing - but I'm assuming that his client wanted that rather than plead out. If it was his 4th DUI, I can't imagine the prosecutor would accept any plea that didn't involve serious punishment.)

[Racket_Man]

When I was growing up, the city I lived in was supposed to select people at random. BUT my Father and others got called enough that some started scheduling their vacation every 2 years or so around the time that the "Random" selection letters were received