Has Anyone Had A Good Jury Duty Experience?

[buildmybudget]

So I'm stuck in jury duty today and was sitting here wondering whether anyone has ever had a good experience at JD. I mean, I understand that it's my patriotic duty to be a juror but I simply detest sitting somewhere waiting for my name to maybe be called. Especially when so much is going on at work and I can't afford to miss a day, it really stinks.

[rob62521]

Try to hang in there...think of it as a way to catch up on reading or a craft or relaxing before you head back to work. That's how I approached it when I had jury duty and it seemed to help.

[nck4857]

I got a jury duty notice at the beginning of the month, got off work for the whole week (paid) and then the trial got canceled. So I had a good jury duty experience..

[disneysteve]

I always have a good experience. They send me a summons. I send them a letter to get out of it and that's it. Great experience.

[bjl584]

I got called once for JD, but I got out of it. I was living at college at the time which was two hours from home.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Well, uh, I once had jury duty while in college. It was summer and I was doing an independent study that involved a lot of reading, so I just took materials with me. One book I was reading was an old textbook that has still not been eclipsed in, gosh, sixty years now. So though it is a narrow topic, anyone associated with the science it covered would know the book. A man spoke to me from across the table, acknowledging the author and book-- to my astonishment.

I told him what I was doing and about my related reading, which included a recent series of journal articles...which it turns out he had been meaning to read. I was able to give him synopses of each as we walked out of the federal courts building across the street and down the block to the civil courts building for a jury panel.

Then, I got removed from the jury panel for a reason I see as an ethical reason, as did another person (different reasons for each of us.) The guy who'd recognized my book told the two of us that if he'd ever been on trial he would have wanted people like us on his jury.

And thus a great professional contact was born, even while I was still an undergrad. An appointment to visit his research institution was made for within the week, too. I had no idea that going to jury duty could be a professional opportunity, sort of like an an ultra-mega-job interview. I guess ya never know.

But mostly, I've had jury duty that coincided with times that I was have awful back pain, so it's been miserable even apart from the loss of ability to conduct my day in the manner I would really choose. Maybe if they'd offer massage and chiropractic services to jurors....

[ferriwinkle]

I got a JD notice last month that said I would need to be available from 8/1/10 to 7/31/11. Most trials in our courts only last one day, so I'm not too worried. My work gives me jury duty pay (just like personal leave), so it might be a nice break from work. We'll see!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

The guy who'd recognized my book told the two of us that if he'd ever been on trial he would have wanted people like us on his jury.

I've often said that a jury trial is not by a jury of your peers. It is by a jury of people who couldn't figure out how to get out of jury duty.

I've been involved in two jury trials in my life. Neither time would I describe the members of the jury as being my peers. The types of people who I would have liked to have had on the jury would never have gotten seated by the opposing attorneys.

[zakity]

So far, mine has been great. I got called twice and got out of it both times. Each time was when the boys were babies and still nursing. With the twins, they were telling me that breastfeeding a baby wasn't a reason to get out of it. Well, it wasn't until I told the lady that the "baby" was two month old twins (one with issues) and I had a two year old also and no one who could watch all three for that long of a time.

Now, I could easily do jury duty and I think it would be fun, but I don't get called for it.

[frugalgirl]

Although I have never even been asked to do jury duty, I will never forget the advice of a college professor regarding the topic. He advised that, if any of us actually got picked to be on a jury, to volunteer or otherwise try to get "elected" as the foreman. This would give us the most chance at keeping the discussion on point and getting to a logical rather than emotional conclusion. As has been alluded to above, most people who get picked for juries are not the smartest pickles in the jar.

[cptacek]

I've never been called, but my cousin was on a Grand Jury for Nebraska. He had to go one week a month for 6 months (I think). He said it was really interesting.

[maat55]

I was summoned once, I stated that it would close my shop putting two other workers out of work. I was released and told to not use this excuse again. It was the truth and I would use it again.

I would love to do jury duty, but it is not practical for me to do so at this stage in my life. I hope to more than make it up later.

Seems like the unemployment roles would be a good pool to choose from.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by maat55

I was released and told to not use this excuse again. It was the truth and I would use it again.

I'll use any excuse that gets me out of serving.

Until they are prepared to compensate me for lost income if I come in, I'm not coming. That amount they pay usually doesn't even cover gas, parking and lunch. How do they expect someone who earns $20 or $40 or $80 per hour to give that up for days or even weeks to sit on a jury? If you work for a big company that will pay you while you are on jury duty, that's one thing, but if you are self-employed or work for a small company, that isn't an option.

[Slug]

My wife got called for a federal capital case this year. Very interesting process for her as we had been following the case closely since the crime. It ended when the guy accepted a plea for life w/o parole to avoid the death penalty which IMHO is what he would have gotten. Too bad we couldn't trade him for the promising life he stole.

[Coronet]

I've been called for jury duty while at college, but I've always gotten out of it due to the distance.

As an adult I haven't been called yet. I believe my job would compensate me for lost hours if I did though.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

We get called for jury duty pretty much every other year.