Whenever I hear the words civic duty I immediately think about jury duty. And whenever I get that notice in my mailbox, I cringe. I am on the circuit to be called every 2 years, like clockwork. I am not a happy jury attendee either. I know, I know… It is my responsibility as a citizen and my right, but it is inconvenient and I just do not like to serve.
A few weeks ago I was called again for jury duty and this time I really hit the big time. I am called for Federal Court for a month long trial. Not only did I feel sick to my stomach, I know I will have a hard time not being called up and seated. I am in the demographics that the attorneys love. The issue is I have a class I am teaching that no one else can do. I am praying that my request for hardship be approved. So now the waiting game begins and I am panicking just a bit. If I cannot get this moved, I can lose my contract. So Not Cool.
I know several people that love to serve. I wish I could substitute my hubby. He has the time to be a juror and might enjoy it although he has never been seated. Do you enjoy being a juror? Have you been on any interesting trials?
I have been called , but only chosen once and that was very short. I hope you will be excused. You should make sure to get a note from whoever assigned the class to you explaining that you cannot be replaced.
I was called once, but didn’t have to go because I was seriously injured at the time & it would have been pretty hard to get there & get around. (Sigh of relief, lol!) I hope you have your reason accepted! If not, well, I hope you actually get a trial & it’s not a boring one!
Our jury duty used to be realy an awful thing in that you would be called for 3 months at a time. Now it is for the length of the trial and the last probably 10 times they plea bargained and everyone was dissmissed. I have served on a few, and they weren’t terribly bad the only paart I didnt care for is when times when arguments keep popping up and some are so disrespectful.
My husband has. He was sequestered and didn’t care for the experience. Looking back, he’s glad he did it, but also wish it had been different. I think some people are good at being jurors like everything in life and others just aren’t. I worry about being a juror. My daughter went to the selection process and was a nervous wreck. Luckily, she wasn’t called. Good luck to you and our thoughts will be with you.
I haven’t been called for years. The last time I was called, I did get excused because I was teaching at a school in a classroom that it would have been very difficult and disruptive to try and get o long term sub. I want to do my duty but must admit I was grateful to have gotten out of it.
I was a jury foreman once (oh lord). The trial went on for a month and a half in New York city with three plaintiffs – a hospital, the construction company of the hospital and an insurance provider. A hospital worker had not only been buried under literally tons of foul hospital laundry as it came down a huge chute and collapsed on him but he had been left there over a weekend because no one even noticed! Amazingly he survived but was disabled (his spine was broken). They went on and on and on about whose fault it was then they settled! We were prepared to give him millions, I guess that the lawyers could see by our faces how appalled we were. They gave him $800,000.
Jury duty, ugh. I have been pretty luck with this, as I don’t have a driver’s license, and I think they get the names from DMV. I was called once, years ago (when I had a learner’s permit), and it was just a waste of time. They had us there for voir dire, for almost 3 days, and in the end, the defendent took a plea and we were dismissed. It was an old, dark, drafty courthouse…crummy experience.
I was called earlier in the year but didn’t have to sit on the jury. This time it was the local courts and not too far to drive but a few years ago it was downtown Los Angeles and I didn’t enjoy driving and parking and waiting with people coughing and well, you get it. I was a paralegal in a past job, so very interested in the jury system. I have yet to be a juror though.