VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[ballenberg]

Okay, I'm dating myself with that thread title. But anyway...

Just got a jury notice, Federal version. Did county less than 2 years ago. Jobs? Missed 'em. This may be worse. Two weeks on call, possibly longer.

What do any of you do when this happens? Self-employed jurors seem to get a really bad deal. My fellow jurors were all salaried and considered their time a pleasant paid vacation. I was returning phone calls with explanations and apologies. Of course I was selected for the trial and it ran longer than expected.

Thoughts?

[Bill]

in my state, NJ we cannot force a juror to serve more than one week, after that it has to be voluntary, and if your employer won't compensate you, you are excused. Self-employed are usually excused as well since it will cause financial hardship.

why do I know this? I work for the Judiciary, and have been on a trial jury since May 2... yeah the judiciary compensates its employees for jury duty, after all it's what we are about.

Should go into deliberations Monday, and my superiors want me to write an article about it from my perspective as a former broadcast journalist, now seeing it from the other side.

I may be weird but I wanted jury duty, I got excused 3 years ago because the case I was called for was the same as one in which I was the plaintiff, plus I knew the judge (since retired).

[todd ellis]

does being on notice mean you have to show up every day - then leave if you are not called? here there is a number to call the night before and they tell you if you need to come in - or not. i have been on-call several times - but have never had to actually serve. i did have to go in for "selection" once but when they started asking me questions i was quickly "declined by the defense. so --- do what i did. walk in wearing a rush limbaugh t-shirt and a USS Ronald Reagan ball cap carrying a bible in one hand and a copy of Newsmax in the other. answer all the questions the way you think a card-carrying conservative would and it is guaranteed they will ask you to leave.


*i don't think this is a violation of the rules. the above does not condemn or nor advocate a particular political view or religion, merely a way to avoid jury duty.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
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[ConnieTerwilliger]

San Diego is now One Day/One Trial. I have to go sometime in the next week - have post poned it once due to conficts.

But if I get called to a panel I will let them know that I am self-employed and cannot be away from my studio for long periods of time - or it is a financial hardship. But if I was put on a one day trial (I've done that before), it would be fine.
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[Dave]

I've tried the self-employed "hardship" excuse... it won't fly in Texas. No limit on the number of days you serve on a jury either. Quite a few poor souls spent months on the various Enron trials for example.

True story:

The one time I was selected for a jury we were all questioned about our various viewpoints and then finally asked if there were any reason why we should not serve. I raised my hand and told them I didn't believe I could be impartial because of the defense attorney. When the judge asked why, I stated that although I didn't know the man personally, I was very familiar with his "reputation" and I believed he was "crooked as a snake." I was promptly dismissed.
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. If at first you don't succeed, then bomb disposal probably isn't for you.

[Don G.]

Dave, it's so funny that you relay that story. I was just debating posting a similar tale about a time many years ago when I was in the preliminary jury selection for a trial. It was a time in my life when I really was not looking forward to having to serve and like you, I was asked if there was any reason why I felt I couldn't be impartial. My response was that in my work as an recording engineer, I had occasion to produce commercials for (Mr. local ambulance chaser), and that doing so left me with a particularly soured opinion of lawyers in general, and personal injury lawyers in particular. Both attorneys displayed an uneasy look, the judge smirked and I received a "you're dismissed".

I'm sure it wouldn't be quite so easy nowadays.

I also found it amusing that as we watched the brief video of the explanation of what to expect when being calle for jury duty, I looked up and the two "attorneys" on screen were two actors I had worked with several years before.

[Dave]

Don... obvioulsy we brilliant minds think alike
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. If at first you don't succeed, then bomb disposal probably isn't for you.