19 replies to this topic

[_Anka_]

Has anyone been called up for jury duty? I got a letter few months ago but I forgot to reply and I just found the letter on my bookshelf under my books It looks like I had to call them today. On the back of the letter it says that whoever does not show up will be fined up to $1000. What can I do to get out of it or is it too late? I think I'm supposed to show up at teh court on Monday but I haven't even replied to them. Can I just say that i never got the letter from them and I I've been living somewhere else lately? plzzz helppp

[Azat]

Because it is sent via regular mail you can ALWAYS claim that you did not get the letter and there is NOTHING they can do to prove that you did get it.

HOWEVER jury duty is a wonderful thing and you SHOULD go and serve. you will learn alot about the laws of this country and how they operate and it is you civic duty. How would you feel if you had files some kind of a charge or if you were in a criminal case and they could not find a juror to represent you properly or that could be fairly to you.

[armjan]

Has anyone been called up for jury duty? I got a letter few months ago but I forgot to reply and I just found the letter on my bookshelf under my books It looks like I had to call them today. On the back of the letter it says that whoever does not show up will be fined up to $1000. What can I do to get out of it or is it  too late? I think I'm supposed to show up at teh court on Monday but I haven't even replied to them. Can I just say that i never got the letter from them and I I've been living somewhere else lately? plzzz helppp

how long was it?
they generally get a hold of u.
but do go, i've heard of fines going out.
judges are very strict. They will fine you $1000 just b/c you pretend to be sleeping in potential jury seat.

[_Anka_]

I would go but I'm working a lot. I guess they want me to show up on June 6 but I forgot to fill out the form that they usually want you to fill out. I called yesterday after 5pm to postpone it but almost all the dates were filled. Does that mean that I'm geoing to get fined $1,000?
Are teh courts open after 5pm on saturday and sunday?

[armjan]

I would go but I'm working a lot. I guess they want me to show up on June 6 but I forgot to fill out the form that they usually want you to fill out. I called yesterday after 5pm to postpone it but almost all the dates were filled.  Does that mean that I'm geoing to get fined $1,000?
Are teh courts open after 5pm on saturday and sunday?

I hope you don't get fined, but to be honest with you, if this is allowed to pass w/out them doing something about it, then everyone would do it. and clearly this is something they don't want.
So I would not be surprised if some fine came thru...although i hope it doesn't for you

[ED]

I dont know of anybody who ditched jury duty and got fined, i must of thrown away 20 or more of those letters

[Azat]

I am telling you if you get if in mail(regular USPS mail) and ignore it then they can NEVER prove that you got it and they wont do anything(I should say cant do anything), however now that you have called and punched in your number they know you got the letter.

In any case. You should serve. It is a GREAT experience. I honestly feel like that

Edo jan, why do you not want to serve? you would enjoy it bud.

[ED]

Edo jan, why do you not want to serve?  you would enjoy it bud.

Azat jan if could make more money as a jury I would glandly do it, but for 5$ a day? thats not even covering a half order of Toro Tuna bro

[Lana]

One of my friends tried to avoid jury duty just throwing off the notices. At last they brought a letter requiring signature (!) which warned against $1500 fine.
So you can't avoid it anyway, maybe just postpone it

[_Anka_]

Azat,
I don't know what I was thinking when i called thema dn punched in my numbers

It looks like they want me to show up on June 6th but I have work the whole day. My boss told me today that I could just call them and say that I am not a US citizen (I am a citizen). He also says that they can not find out about that because they have no access to the US immigration bureau. I was thinking that it could be true because they selected my name through DMV not because I registered to vote this year. I don't really mind serving it but at this moment I'm too caught up with work and one of my associate has just left the country so I'm doing both of our works and basically there's no missing work untill she returns. I should have postponed it before but I totally forgot about the letter since it was out of site.
I heard that some people show up there and declare that they discriminate against different people and they were sent home right away. Anyone tried that before? Is it also bad that i did not send them the questionare within 10 days of reciving the letter from them? I was thinking that maybe I can tell them that i haven't been living at that address for few months now and I got the letter from my neigbor 5 days ago so that's why i wasn't able to respond sooner. Will that work?

[armjan]

I heard that some people show up there and declare that they discriminate against  different people and they were sent home right away.   Anyone tried that before? Is it also bad that i did not send them the questionare within 10 days of reciving the letter from them? I was thinking that maybe I can tell them that i haven't been living at that address for few months now and I got the letter from my neigbor 5 days ago so that's why i wasn't able to respond sooner. Will that work?

plz be careful,
once you are in the jury selection process, if you show any type of intentional bias and it's noted by the judge, you may recieve a large fine.
I mean, you lose the right to voice your opinion, to speak and all that stuff.
The judge OWNS you. I saw someone get slapped $1000 just like that b/c he was pretneding to be sleepy.
IF the judge is a Nazi, then u will get nailed. Believe me, if you complain, he will/can extend your fee.
It's the first time I felt like I was in Berlin, Germany in 1940's.

Edited by armjan, 05 June 2005 - 12:22 PM.

[Anonymouse]

The easiest way to get out of Jury duty is to simply put that Jury mail into the shredder.

I always do, right as I bite into my hot pockets.

[shaunt]

I burned that in the backyard. The city of LA can shove that $1000 right up their rear ends.

Unless a city official comes to my house, and places the summons in my hands, I will continue to burn them.

Edited by Edward, 05 June 2005 - 08:40 PM.

[Azat]

what can I say. I hope that Ed, Mouseman and Shaunt never need a service of the courts. Because when they do they will realize how important it is to be a juror

[_Anka_]

Thanks for your advice. Since I already called and punched in my Id to postpone it (couldn't do it), I decided to just show up there tomorrow before work and tell them that I've been away for a while and that I got the letter 4 days ago. I'll tell them that I tried to postpone it few days ago over the phone but I was not able to do it so I decided to do it in person. I can just say that I'm replacing someone right now at work and I can not miss any days because a lot is depended on me. What's the worste they can do? Fine me $1,000 for not being able to miss my work and my summer school?

[Anoushik]

HOWEVER jury duty is a wonderful thing and you SHOULD go and serve.  you will learn alot about the laws of this country and how they operate and it is you civic duty.  How would you feel if you had files some kind of a charge or if you were in a criminal case and they could not find a juror to represent you properly or that could be fairly to you.

I wanted to experience jury duty, however I neglected the letter because I was called to court on May 6, right in the middle of finals week at my college. I wanted to call and postpone but my dad urged me to just disregard it. (In the letter it stated that they won't accept missing classes/tests as excuses to postpone.) My dad had just experienced a very stressful episode of jury duty, where he was made to go a couple of days in a row because of some problems at court. He missed many hours of work. I do wish to serve jury duty one time as I find the whole process to be very curious.

Anka, you shouldn't have called. Now they know that they send you the letter and now you have to absolutely deal with them.

Edit: I forgot to add that my dad never served as a juror, yet he spent so much time on that whole process.

Edited by anoushik, 05 June 2005 - 08:35 PM.

[ED]

what can I say.  I hope that Ed, Mouseman and Shaunt never need a service of the courts.  Because when they do they will realize how important it is to be a juror

Azat jan for $5 bucks a day? I will gladly pay for someone else to go as a replacement. But I do realize the importance of a Jury duty……
Let’s say it drags of for 6 mounts and what’s next? You go bankrupt? Is city going to cover your expanses? I was joking bud, I always present an excuse, I wont serve till they find a way to have someone cover my business/expanses for me, then I will gladly sit in that box for mounts, even years.

They need a shake up of this judicial system.

[Sasun]

I think it is good to leave jury duty optional as it is now (even though officially it is not optional). Imagine if everyone was forced to serve, I don't think that would do any good to justice. On the other hand, given that it is pretty easy to avoid jury duty only people who have the sense of duty would feel compelled to serve. Such people would naturally be inclined to be fair and responsible.


P.S. Now imagine Mouse on jury duty. I think he would opt for a cruel punishment where somebody is executed, regardless of guilt

[Balaclava]

I would go but I'm working a lot. I guess they want me to show up on June 6 but I forgot to fill out the form that they usually want you to fill out. I called yesterday after 5pm to postpone it but almost all the dates were filled. Does that mean that I'm geoing to get fined $1,000?
Are teh courts open after 5pm on saturday and sunday?

Upon jury selection, make a statement similar to this: "I am a religious person, and pursuant to my religion I can not judge." The prosecutor and the defence lawyer will then freak out and tell you pai paai.

[Sip]

If your employer pays for it, go do it. Most of the time you won't even be called into court.

If your employer doesn't pay for it, you can claim it causes financial hardship and that works most of the time. I haven't been in CA last 4 years so I don't know if the rules have changed ... when I was in school, I never went since I would always call and postpone and then during the breaks I would claim financial hardship since I was usually working part time and my employer wouldn't pay