Have you ever served? Would you like to? Are you one of those people who never get called, or do you get called every year like clockwork?

If you live in a country other than the U.S., do you have jury service or something similar? Do random citizens receive a notice in the mail telling them to show up to serve?

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

Answers

I've been called for jury duty once. I was kind of looking forward to it, too. I was interested in seeing what goes on "live." I was only a little worried that I would be selected to serve on the DuPont jury. (Big deal case here in PA, very rich guy went nuts and killed someone.) We sat around for half a day and then they sent us home. I got to see a movie about what to expect, but that's the closest I got to a courtroom.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I haven't, but my father was called...on a murder trial in Nashville. My father travelled a lot, and being totally clueless about the law, called the judge to see if there was any way he could "get out of it".

Yes. He was occasionally an idiot about a few things.

After the judge very frostily told him that he had BETTER show up, he did what he should have done and called his brother-in-law, my lawyer uncle. So he showed up for the jury selection, and since it was a very public murder trial here in Nashville, said that he was afraid his mind was made up, and he was convinced the defendent was guilty. He said that repeatedly. The judge said, "You are dismissed" in a very, very cold voice, watching him all the while.

But Pop got to make his business meeting.--Al

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I served on a state jury a few years ago, the plaintiff represented herself (she was not a lawyer)and it was absolutely hysterical. I'm not sure jury duty is supposed to be that funny, or if she should have been allowed to make such a mockery of the system. She referred to herself in the third person all the time, while everyone else spoke directly to her "So then Jane turned right" "Yes, you did"

I also was summoned to federal a few months ago. It was much cooler than state, even though you are on call for two weeks. I was on 2 juries-the first settled and the second was a mistrial.

I am big jury duty-loving weirdo, and I actually enjoy doing my civid duty.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

The mayor here in Pittsburgh is currently serving on a jury (it made the news). I guess no one wanted to dismiss him...

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

The closest I've ever come to serving on a jury was in high school, where a bunch of us who were taking law class judged a mock trial by the American University law students. It was tremendous fun. We, of course, were badass high school juniors and seniors, so we spent most of the deliberations goofing off, but we eventually decided that while the prosecution clearly did a better job they didn't have much of a legal case. So we let the defendant walk.

I wonder if she reformed, or if she's still a menace to society...

--Mike

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I got called for jury duty this year, for the first time in the 29 years I've been a registered voter in San Francisco. It was a drag.... sitting through hours of listening to other fools' voir dire and all the ways people were trying to weasel out, day after day. I didn't get picked after they questioned *me*. I wouldn't have minded serving really, but it seemed like when I told them I index law books, they didn't want me.

By the way, I'm Dutch too - both sides of the family, as far back as anyone can tell. I was even born in Holland, Michigan (but haven't been there since I was 8). When I was in Amsterdam for a couple of weeks, people kept coming up to me on bus stops and asking me for directions, sometimes in Dutch, which I do not speak. I guess I look Dutch or something? :)

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I've always wanted to do Jury duty, but keep getting called after I move away from the county that summons me, so I have to reply, "sorry, I don't live there anymore". Now that I have roots in once place (a mortgage), I haven't been called at all.

BTW, we have a Dutchman in the office, and he says that your translation looks correct! Well, at least the "Welcome Dutch" part is right. He didn't know the work for readers...

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I've been called a couple of times, but always dismissed. I was a computer programmer when that happened and everybody said they never choose programmers because they're too smart, but someone I worked with got picked twice and was the foreman once.

I wouldn't try to get out of it - I figure karma would catch up with me - but I sure would not be happy about it. Oh, a little three day criminal case might not be too bad, but one of those months long civil cases just sounds so boring.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I was called and did sit at the county courthouse for five days awaiting assignment to a court. I was prepared to be a good citizen and serve. The week was boring and I sat on a hard chair and read for 8 hours a day until the afternoon of the last day when I wall called to a court. The accused was acting as his own council. It appeared to be a serious infraction. I am self-employed. Which means, no one makes up the difference between the $6/day plus bus fare and what I would make while not being there. Therefore, I pleaded poverty as asked to be excused. Which I was, though if this had of happened earlier in the week I would have served.

bg

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

Twice I got the little card in the mail.

The first time it happened, I was called for the first week of September of my sophomore year in college. My then-home-state was PA, my school was in Massachusetts, and there was no way I was missing the first week of classes/moving into my dorm room, etc.

I begged off on student status.

The second time, the reverse happened. I was called by the Hampshire County district court, which is right downtown in Northampton where I went to school. The call date was for the middle of summer when I was going to be at home in PA.

Again I turned in the card stating that I wasn't a permanent resident of Massachusetts and that I would be residing in PA during the time period in question.

I've yet to be called in Virginia or DC and hopefully, as long as we keep moving every 2-3 years, I won't ever be called again.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I participated in the "Get to Know the Court System" Special studies Program that was offered on alternate years, (the SSP itself runs every year for sophomores and juniors and includes a wide range of activities spread over two weeks, including a trip to France) so curiosity about the judicial process has never been an incentive for me regarding jury duty.

Furthermore, I just don't think I can handle the responsibility of trying to decide someone's guilt or innocence. It's easy when it's on TV on a show like Perry Mason or others of that ilk. The shows pretty much always lead you to the conclusion. In real life though -- it's a far different matter, when the fate of another individual rests in part in your hands.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I hit the jury big time the second time I was called. The first time I called every day, and never had to go to the courthouse. The second time I figured it would be the same. I didn't even tell my boss about it. I called Sunday night, and had to go in on Monday! And I was in the first group called! And, interestingly, it was a capital case (1st degree murder). And even though my boyfriend at the time was an ATF agent (I know, sorry) and I wrote that on the questionnaire, I still got on the jury. And the guy admitted to second degree murder, saying the reason he robbed and stabbed the bartender 80 times and then shot her 4 times in the head (very accurately from 6 feet away) was that he was drunk. The psychiatrist the defense called was the one who lied in the Menendez brothers case. We didn't like him. It was a very emotional experience; there were absolutely no mitigating circumstances. We all wanted a defense but the guy was so guilty.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

Lawyers in general serve on juries occasionally, but not wives of ADA's, so up until last year, I was always excused. (I was called three times in 6 years, though. Every other June, like clockwork.) Since I still know most of the DAs office, and I'm now part of a criminal defense firm, I doubt that I'll ever serve on a criminal jury. Federal or civil juries, perhaps, but I've never been called for either.

And yes, our lackluster mayor here in Pittsburgh (Tom Murphy, aka Mayor Smurfy) is on a jury. I can only hope he does better with that than he's done in running the city. I do know at least one of the counsel involved, I'm hoping that I can make a phone call tonight and get some insider gossip. I'm terrible that way.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I was called once, and had actually hoped that I could have done it, but at the time I was working graveyards, for that "Inside" company, and since I was a temp - there was no way in hell they were going to pay me for jury duty.

And no way in hell I was going to work from 11:00pm to 7:00pm and then going to serve on a trial from 8 to five in the afternoon.

Maybe I'll get called again. Maybe not. I won't try to weasel out. I don't think, anyway. (=

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I served on a trial once. I wanted to weasel out, because I had just started the job about 3 weeks prior...but they encouraged me not to weasel.

I got a really sad case. The man was on trial for raping a 15 year old, and he chose to defend himself.

I thought I'd be kicked off the panel right away because I work with kids...teens, even. But Mr. Defend himself was obviously not a very bright man.

The sad thing was, I think if he had a hot-shot defense attorney, or even a public defender for that matter, he *might* have had a chance of getting off. However, we convicted him, for several reasons. The biggest reason was when he phrased one of his questions, "So, when I raped you..."

stasi

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

Alas, no, on all counts. Never got called while I was still living in the States, and I'm not an Italian citizen, so I wouldn't be called even if such a thing existed over here. Which it doesn't. All of which is really too bad, because I think it would be fascinating to serve on a jury. Even the sitting-around-waiting time would be nice, since it would give me plenty of guilt-free, uninterrupted reading time. Resident of the world, citizen of nowhere. Or something like that.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

I've never been on jury duty - we don't have that in Holland. I talked to some lawyer-acquaintances of mine, and they seemed to be happy about it, even though when I asked them why they were so happy about, they all started spouting legal technobabble I couldn't make heads or tails from. So I'm still not sure which of the two systems has my preference.

By the way, the translation was right on the money.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

Hey - de Jong is my maiden name! :)

But my dad changed the spelling to DeJong, for some reason. I think it actuall started out as de Jonge, then the last "e" got dropped, then the "D" got capitalized.

I know, boring to everyone... but I was just surprised to see another de Jong pop up here.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

Congratulations! Overhere, De Jong is the most common name you could imagine, like Jones or Smith, but I suppose it's pretty unique in the US. However, De Jonge, with an added e, is far less common, and besides, it's also the surname of one of the best comedians we have overhere.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999

I served for a solid week in a very complex crimnal case in state court. It had DNA, phone taps, conflicting accounts. Sort of a mini- OJ case.

It was both fasinating and stressful. I wouldn't mind being on a jury every few years.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999

I've been called twice. Both times I went, saw the little "why jury duty is important" film, sat in the jury pool room for a long long time, fell asleep, and was awakened by the PA system telling me I could go home. Terribly exciting, really.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 1999

I had jury duty as a college student, on a slip-and-fall case against Jordan Marsh, and I've watched a few "focus group" juries do their thing through a two-way mirror. If I am ever accused of a crime, I will immediately ask for a bench trial. I'd say more, but I don't want to hear the text of this post read back to the jury next time I'm in trial.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 1999

I'm dying to serve on jury duty and like someone else, both times I've been called I had moved away from the place that called me. One time was while I was in college and although I was living in the same state, it was nearly 3 hours away. I begged off on student status. The other time was right after I moved to New York from New Jersey and I got called from New Jersey.

My mother has been called and served numerous times.

I'm fascinated by court and I'd love to serve, as long as it's not some OJ trial.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 1999

Are lawyers in California liable for jury duty then?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 1999

Here in Australia, jury duty works similarly as in the US except (and it's a big "except") there's no constitutional right to a trial by jury. So - juries only for indictable criminal offences (and a defendant can request a trial by judge alone) and only for very, very limited civil trials - most are by single judge.

So you have juries for most criminal trials of serious matters (murder, assault, sexual offences, etc) unless they're non- indictable - I think the difference is like felony/misdemeanour (my Law and Order and LA Law viewing days are holding me in reasonable stead here).

And lawyers don't get to serve!! One of the few professions that's exempt.

cheers Anna

-- Anonymous, December 07, 1999

Lawyers used to be exempt in California, but we aren't any longer. For practical purposes, though, lawyers rarely serve on juries.

-- Anonymous, December 10, 1999

I seem to get called every year, but never get to serve. My last time was just before Thanksgiving. I showed up for work Monday morning and my friend said, "Oh, so you didn't get called?" Uh,oh! Even though I had it on all my calendars, I totally spaced it. I flew home, found my juror number, called in, listened to the recording, found out I should be downtown 2 hours ago, drove downtown, ran in, heart racing, wondering what they would do to me. Since they had already assigned the juries for that day, they gave me a new number (oh, goody) and I had to call in the next day. Since it was Thanksgiving week there were no more juries that week. I would not mind serving, but I am so afraid of having to serve on an animal or child abuse case. I would love to come down on some creep that did something like that, but I know the details I would hear would haunt me for many years. Those things make me cry.

-- Anonymous, December 10, 1999

I was called to Superior Court, and that was interesting. The jury room is not as hot and overcrowded as the County one. I got to a courtroom, but was passed over after voir dire. Oh, well. I'd like to be on a jury.

Then three years ago I did the county court thing. Mostly it was phone, though I did have two days in the room.

Rich has been on a jury and then last year was on-call, but he had election officer class at the same time so was excused that day.

-- Anonymous, December 10, 1999

I had jury duty this past summer, and actually wrote a journal entry about it... http://www.mindspring.com/~campjane/july6.htm I felt really really bad during my call for duty, because I had recently picked up the new Onion book, This Dumb Century, and brought it to court with me. How was I supposed to know that the book was going to be hilariously, laugh out loud kind of funny???

So, there I sat, laughing my ass off, while all of the other potential jurors sneered at me. I tried to stifle my laughter, but the more I tried, the more tickled I became. See, jury duty CAN be fun. You just need the right props! That rule applies to just about everything, now that I think about it!

Beda

-- Anonymous, December 11, 1999

I was on a trial once, it was for a 50 year old man who accusedly raped a 15 year old girl. The man defended himself, which was very sad. One of the questions he asked was, "so, when I raped you, did you scream?" That right there made him lose the case in my mind.

I was surprised that I got to stay on the jury... he asked every other woman except me, "do you have kids?" Of course, I didn't have kids at the time, but I am a social worker for children and teens... the prosecution was probably happy to have me stay.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 1999

They've changed the law in California now, and the judge doesn't have to let the attorneys ask the jury any questions now in criminal cases -- the judge can do all the questioning instead. That's what happened to me this week. It's supposed to speed things up, but honestly, this was a misdemeanor sexual battery trial and it STILL took hours.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 1999