Jury duty is like a wet/dry vac...

[MithShrike]

...it sucks and blows. Seriously, that was the most boring 5 hours of my life I will never get back. There's my duty to the Maricopa County Superior Court, at least for the next 18 months. Lessee.. I wasted an entire day of work, $17 on crappy gas station food and two magazines, five hours of my life, and $3.25 on the vending machine during break. When asked if anyone was involved with any sort of political group regarding change of the law for criminal activities I piped right up about my involvement with MPP (Google is your friend). One guy had to give his life story every time he was asked a question. I'm sure he extended the whole thing by 40 minutes by himself. Thank the gods I don't have to do that again.

[mrreindeer]

Oooof, that sucks Matt. :bh

[G G]

I sat on a jury trial once, and it was a one day trial. Lasted most of the day, and I thought it was am experience everyone should do once. But I don't care if I ever have to be a juror again.

[JE3146]

I've been called in like 4 times, and each of them fell during school, so they canceled it. They never ask when I'm out of school. Always wondered about it, but I always hear stories like this. I have like 5 cops in the family, so I really doubt I'd make it past the initial questioning anyways...

[rack04]

Every time that I have attended jury duty I have always been asked to leave after they poll the jury about their career. I guess they have something against educated white males. :confused:

[G G]

Every time that I have attended jury duty I have always been asked to leave after they poll the jury about their career. I guess they have something against educated white males. :confused:
Bingo, hence the reason they let me stay. I fit one of the profiles but not the other.:wo

[ActionAndy]

Oh GOD. When I went down to Albany for Jury Duty there were so many schmucks involved. One kid had driven something like 5 hours to be there and he kept announcing it like some badge of honor; you could tell he was actually excited to be involved. And like you said, when it came time for the "does anyone have experience with ____" questions, suddenly ever stupid detail of everyone's life was out on the table. They're yes or no questions, they aren't asking because they're deeply interested in your experiences as a human, leave that **** to Chicken Soup for the Idiot's Soul please.

[GreekGodX]

I dread the day I get called for jury duty. My plan is to be as radical as I can be in any questions I'm asked. That way I can go home quickly.

[kelmac07]

Sorry to hear Matt!!

[MithShrike]

They're yes or no questions, they aren't asking because they're deeply interested in your experiences as a human, leave that **** to Chicken Soup for the Idiot's Soul please.

:r:r

Yeah this guy even had to explain his views on the death penalty...

[doctorcue]

Jury Duty is rough... I was on duty for 12 days (across 3 weeks) before it ended in mis-trial. Total waste of time in my case. :hn

[akakirby]

I have to call in every thursday for the next 2 months to see if i have to serve for jury duty on friday. what a pain, hope i don't get called in, I am hoping since it is fridays they will not be doing much.

[acarr]

I had the doctor write me a permanent note and I never get called anymore. Before that, I did get called and was questioned on a trial. Alas, I was a states witness in a case the next day and the judge told me to go home:P

[nozero]

Since you mentioned MPP... Have you read this? http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm

I found it to be somewhat interesting and informative.
:2

[ucla695]

I feel for you. Before they had the phone in system, I was stuck in a jury room for two weeks straight. Not once, but twice. The thing that sucked the most was getting assigned to a case on Friday of my last day. :bh The trial lasted two weeks. That's right, four weeks of service. Blech.

[Fumes]

Here's one way to get out of i (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0430091jury1.html)t. But I think this only works in Montana.

[nozero]

Here's one way to get out of i (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0430091jury1.html)t. But I think this only works in Montana.

Wow, he's lucky he not STILL being held in contempt.

[smokin5]

That's one of the perks in being a lawyer - they NEVER want me! :)

Reminds me of the old line:
Would YOU want your legal fate in the hands of 12 people
who are too dumb to get off jury duty? :rolleyes:

[Fumes]

That's one of the perks in being a lawyer - they NEVER want me! :)

Reminds me of the old line:
Would YOU want your legal fate in the hands of 12 people
who are too dumb to get off jury duty? :rolleyes:

And the old Mark Twain chestnut:

We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world; and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men every day who don't know anything and can't read.

[akakirby]

made the call for this week, no jury duty for me tomorrow, woohoo, now if we can only keep this streak going for the next month and a half!

[TideRoll]

Indeed.

I have federal jury duty starting Monday. I will be basically on call for two weeks, where I have to check in every evening to see if I have to report the next day. That basically freezes me out for two weeks, not knowing if I can meet a deadline, if I can take an assignment, when I can schedule something, etc. Is that on-call idea supposed to make things more palatable? Fail.

I didn't take two weeks for my honeymoon. I am self-employed and I can say straight up, I am not going to be hanging around for two weeks while the busiest time of my year gets pissed away by bickering attorneys while I get $40 a day or whatever insulting amount the government deems appropriate to defecate in my general direction. Usually, when attorneys spend my time, they have to pay me for it.

It isn't as if I do not want to do my duty, I fully recognize the importance of a quality jury pool and see the consequences of the lack thereof. But two weeks? Give me a freaking break already. To top it off, my county wants to bring me in at the end of August for jury duty in their circuit. I guess I might as well give up my job, my house, and my car. After all, we all exist to serve the state, do we not?

And of course, I will not survive the cull any time I am called. I haven't yet and I don't expect that to change. In Birmingham, the attorneys really seem to detest critical thinkers or anyone gainfully employed or younger than ninety. A friend of mine is a federal judge in my district. His secretary is best friends with the lady who does the jury. I have held off thus far in pulling that particular chain, but the closer Monday gets and the more work I have come in, the antsier I get and the more I am tempted. Two weeks... what the hell is the government thinking? If an attorney can't make their points in most cases with which I have been involved within a week, they should be beaten into a comatose state with a frozen trout and left to rot in the noon day sun. Two weeks. Someone please shoot me now.

[TideRoll]

Turns out, that like so many times the temptation to fly off the handle exists, things were not as bad as feared. In the northern district of AL, the federal courts only seat juries on Monday. That means if you don't get taken on the first Monday, you are free for the week. You have one more gauntlet to run the following week on Monday, but again, if you don't get picked, you are home free. Thank goodness this was not like our state and county courts, which can often kill an entire week whether or not you ever get onto an actual serving jury. And of course, since I am employed and under 95 years old, and answer the bumper sticker question with "NRA," I always get struck. Go figure. Two days lost is better than ten or five.