Jury Duty

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The "pay" you receive for jury duty is not meant as pay, it's supposed to compensate you for travel, meals, things like that. What our county pays ($30 last time I served) is less than I make per hour on my job and I'm hardly alone. It's less than most people make in a couple of hours in our county.

Let's be honest...where are people getting gas, meals, parking etc all for $10 a day? At least not nowadays.

 

[bdcp]

Let's be honest...where are people getting gas, meals, parking etc all for $10 a day? At least not nowadays.

Parking is free for jurors in the county I live in. Heck parking is free for almost everyplace to park here in the county, except the airport and garage parking in the town where the courthouse is. But, as I said, last time i served the county pays $30 which I'm not allowed to keep since my job pays me. I would have to buy lunch if I'm picked.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Parking is free for jurors in the county I live in. Heck parking is free for almost everyplace to park here in the county, except the airport and garage parking in the town where the courthouse is. But, as I said, last time i served the county pays $30 which I'm not allowed to keep since my job pays me. I would have to buy lunch if I'm picked.

Yeah..but see you're going off your area.

In my county it's $10 per day plus mileage reimbursement though I live under 4 miles from the courthouse so it won't be much for me. Parking is limited downtown where the courthouse is in my area.

 

[rigs32]

There are so many cases and limited court time and resources, so only those with the strongest evidence get sent to trial. Most are pleaded out or dismissed due to weak evidence.

I wouldn’t say this is exactly true. Yes, most cases take pleas. But the ones that go to trials aren’t necessarily the ones with the strongest evidence. Sometimes the defendant just won’t admit to anything. Sometimes the defendant doesn’t think the prosecutor can prove the case.

It’s also quite rare for a case to be thrown out for lack of evidence once it’s been indicted.

 

[wgeo]

The "pay" you receive for jury duty is not meant as pay, it's supposed to compensate you for travel, meals, things like that. What our county pays ($30 last time I served) is less than I make per hour on my job and I'm hardly alone. It's less than most people make in a couple of hours in our county.

I'm not quite sure if that is accurate. For example this is how Federal Jury Duty is described "Federal jurors are paid $40 a day. While the majority of jury trials last less than a week, jurors can receive up to $50 a day after serving 10 days on a trial. (Employees of the federal government are paid their regular salary in lieu of this fee.) Jurors also are reimbursed for reasonable transportation expenses and parking fees. Jurors also receive a subsistence allowance covering their meals and lodging if they are required to stay overnight."

Clearly the $40 is "pay" plus they get parking etc.

However, it's all kind of semantics to me. The real issue is that fact that many people can't live on the $15 or 30 a day most Counties pay, and some don't have jobs that cover their pay for the day and that's an issue that I think needs to be addressed.

 

[corgi_monster]

I was called for the first time this January. I have a newborn so I replied and was excused.

I asked them to reschedule me in a year. I SUPER want to serve and I'm not kidding. I really want to!

Me too! I have been pooled several times, but the defense attorney has dismissed me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I mentioned this to a federal prosecutor that I know and he said I've got all the makings of a bad juror: middle-aged-ish Asian-American SAHM. But I would like to think that I could be very fair!

 

[wgeo]

Me too! I have been pooled several times, but the defense attorney has dismissed me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I mentioned this to a federal prosecutor that I know and he said I've got all the makings of a bad juror: middle-aged-ish Asian-American SAHM. But I would like to think that I could be very fair!

Yeah after sitting through a jury Selection process that took a full week (not joking) I was kicked off at the very end with what I presume was the prosecutions peremptory strike. My husband has sat thru so many selections and never gets picked, we assume it's his job, so maybe that rubs off on me? Not sure, but can't believe it took a full week to then get kicked off. Happy to not have to be on the case though, they expected it would go for 2 more weeks and it seemed like it was going to be very ugly.

 

[Flamingeaux]

Ugh, after planning and planning a trip for the week after Thanksgiving I just got called for federal jury duty the week before and the week after Thanksgiving. My 30 day cancellation date is almost here. I asked for a postponement or to be excused because of my trip and the fact that I had a hip replacement and can't sit for too long. I'm not too hopeful. I am considering taking the chance and not cancel and hope that I get called in the first week and get excused for the second week

Edit - I can't believe it but I got my postponement!!!! I can go on my trip!!!

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

I'm one of the few that enjoys jury duty. I think watching how the legal system works is very interesting. I served about 13ish years ago on a criminal case and was waiting for the next time. Well, I got called twice when DD was an infant/toddler and had to defer since I was a stay at home mom. I finally got called again a few months ago. From the courthouse I was sent to, I knew it would be a criminal case so I was looking forward to it even more. I got selected for a panel. The attorney stands up to describe the case and it ended up being one charge of petty theft. I did get selected for a jury and the case was some bozo who shoplifted three pairs of underwear and a pair of pants from Target. It was ridiculous. He was obviously guilty (we came to a verdict in seriously maybe 15 minutes, if that) and it just seemed like such a huge waste of money and resources - DA, public defender (of course), judge, court time, etc. for a whopping $150. I spoke to the DA after the case was over and asked about it and he explained that the guy simply wouldn't plead guilty/no contest and it would set a bad precedent if they just dropped the charges. I agreed with him, of course, but it was infuriating to see so much waste.

 

[gotomu212]

Ugh, after planning and planning a trip for the week after Thanksgiving I just got called for federal jury duty the week before and the week after Thanksgiving. My 30 day cancellation date is almost here. I asked for a postponement or to be excused because of my trip and the fact that I had a hip replacement and can't sit for too long. I'm not too hopeful. I am considering taking the chance and not cancel and hope that I get called in the first week and get excused for the second week

If it makes you feel better I had the same thing with a federal jury summons and they asked to see my trip confirmation (airline email/hotel reservation confirmation) and I was immediately excused. Federal jury policy is to excuse/defer for vacations (assuming they are real and not just we chose to drive to my mothers farm for 4 months every summer type of things or I’m taking off from work to have a staycation).

 

[Flamingeaux]

If it makes you feel better I had the same thing with a federal jury summons and they asked to see my trip confirmation (airline email/hotel reservation confirmation) and I was immediately excused. Federal jury policy is to excuse/defer for vacations (assuming they are real and not just we chose to drive to my mothers farm for 4 months every summer type of things or I’m taking off from work to have a staycation).

I was not hopeful giving the language in the summons, but they granted my request. Yesterday was a day of swings. First I was able to get our FPs for SDD and then when I got home I received my summons and now the postponement.

 

[mjkacmom]

Lol it’s $5 a day here, not even enough to buy a sandwich. Parking is free, there is very little street parking available and lots are expensive.

 

[skyblue17]

I was on a trial for three weeks a few years ago. I don't recall getting paid very much, if at all. Luckily I was still paid hourly at the time, since I also simply couldn't miss three whole weeks of work either and still logged hours. Since not all trial days were full, I often went to work before or after I had to be at the courthouse (35 min from my apartment, close to an hour from my office) or worked from home. I actually don't mind the process but it's a lot to ask of people, especially when the financial reimbursement is not there.

 

[bethwc101]

I think I would enjoy serving on a jury, but I never get picked as I was a victim of some serious assault as a child and they have usually found me not to be able to be unbiased.

 

[tex1989]

Last four times I got a summons I drove to the courthouse was met at the door and asked if I was there for jury duty. When I said yes they said no cases today so you are free to leave, do you need a return to work form? I say no and take off. I lwork in Houston but live in another county and parking is free with the only problem being that the county seat and courthouse are 40 miles from home in the opposite direction from work. Those days I usually just go back home and work from there for the rest of the day. I don't get charged for the time off by my company so I just donate the jury pay back to the county. Other than gas and a little time it costs me nothing so it's not a big deal.

 

[Caskett616]

Ugh, after planning and planning a trip for the week after Thanksgiving I just got called for federal jury duty the week before and the week after Thanksgiving. My 30 day cancellation date is almost here. I asked for a postponement or to be excused because of my trip and the fact that I had a hip replacement and can't sit for too long. I'm not too hopeful. I am considering taking the chance and not cancel and hope that I get called in the first week and get excused for the second week

Edit - I can't believe it but I got my postponement!!!! I can go on my trip!!!

I was able to get a posponement for federal jury duty because I had a trip to visit family planned. I had no proof - no hotel, no airplane or anything - but they allowed me to dely if for 2 months.

 

[Caskett616]

I work retail for $11 an hour, and I'm only paid when I work. I recently had to go to jury duty but was excused since I said it would be a financial issue for me. I did get $40 for the day, and brought lunch with me, so that wasn't too bad.

 

[bcla]

Lol it’s $5 a day here, not even enough to buy a sandwich. Parking is free, there is very little street parking available and lots are expensive.

Not sure how much it is now. I remember back when I was actually on jury duty in the 90s it was $5/day plus standard straight line mileage determined by mailing zip code. It generally didn't even cover meals. I served maybe five weeks.

It was odd too. The last time I actually served on a jury we had a specific jury parking permit that would allow us to park on designated streets as long as we wanted. The spaces were normally time limited, but with the permit we could stay all day. Occasionally if we came in late (but not too late for the trial) to find one of those limited spaces, the bailiff told us to just park anywhere, including metered spaces without paying. When we got a parking citation she told us to just bring it to her and she'd fix the ticket.

I've been back a few times since. Maybe once or twice I called in and we were excused or given a different reporting date to call in again. If we had to show up we'd wait in the jury assembly room and wait for a judge who needed a jury. A few times it got to maybe 2-3 PM and we were all excused.

The last time I asked for an excuse. It was a little bit different too. Before the jury selection process started, the judge came into the jury assembly room and specifically asked if anyone had a question that they wanted to ask. I asked what happened to the McDonald's that was across the street from the courthouse. I went there a lot during my previous jury duty times, and even the morning that I got married at the county clerk's office. This time there was nothing specifically mentioned about parking other than warning about parking too long. I literally found a parking space that had no posted limits about 4 blocks away near a residential neighborhood.

 

[mjkacmom]

Last four times I got a summons I drove to the courthouse was met at the door and asked if I was there for jury duty. When I said yes they said no cases today so you are free to leave, do you need a return to work form? I say no and take off. I lwork in Houston but live in another county and parking is free with the only problem being that the county seat and courthouse are 40 miles from home in the opposite direction from work. Those days I usually just go back home and work from there for the rest of the day. I don't get charged for the time off by my company so I just donate the jury pay back to the county. Other than gas and a little time it costs me nothing so it's not a big deal.

Our jury duty is in Newark NJ, there are always plenty of cases.

 

[tex1989]

Our jury duty is in Newark NJ, there are always plenty of cases.

While I live close to Houston and Harris County where there are plenty of cases I actually reside in Brazoria County which is for a large part rural and has a smaller courthouse and a much smaller case load than Houston. My town is the largest in the county and we are only 120,000. Everything else is much smaller.