How can you get out of jury duty?

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 10-20-2016, 10:09 AM

Be dead.

Seriously, be a good citizen.

**scfr** · 10-20-2016, 10:14 AM

If you have a legitimate reason that you are unable to do it (you truly can't afford child care or to miss a few days of work, you will be overseas on military service or work that cannot be re-scheduled, you are an EMT in an understaffed department, you are POTUS, etc) then explain that and ask to be excused.

Otherwise, it's like paying taxes and other things that we may not necessarily like but we just do it because it's the law and it's our civic duty.

Right or wrong, our judicial system sometimes relies on juries of our peers. If a loved one were on trial for their lives, or had been the victim of a crime, what sort of people would you want on the jury? Someone like you? Then show up.

I've showed up for jury duty three times. Was placed on a jury only once.

**Jluke** · 10-20-2016, 10:36 AM

medical condition - like anxiety. dr note required.

**DaveInPgh** · 10-20-2016, 10:44 AM

Rock back and forth while mumbling "Guilty!"

**Petunia 100** · 10-20-2016, 10:44 AM

Say things which make the attorneys not want you on their jury. Such as squint at people and say "That one looks guilty to me!" while pointing.

**DaveInPgh** · 10-20-2016, 10:45 AM

Say the accused is a bad hombre

**HundredK** · 10-20-2016, 10:47 AM

I got dismissed from a jury after being selected, because when they asked us if we would uphold the law as it was written, I clarified that I wouldn't uphold a law that was not a good law. This resulted in much ruffling of feathers, and a private interrogation with all the lawyers and the judge. I guess this is a way that some people try and get out of jury duty, and they weren't too happy about it. But they did end up dismissing me, and I stand by my opinion that I wouldn't take into account the letter of the law if the law is silly.

What I often do, and recommend doing, is just to reschedule it. You can reschedule twice, for up to 6 months out (I think). This buys you an extra year. Then, I try and schedule it the 2nd time for the week of a holiday. Court is often not held on those weeks, and you end up not getting called.

**greenskeeper** · 10-20-2016, 12:20 PM

Originally posted by amastewa93 View Post

I just got my first request for jury duty recently and am wondering if you guys know any ways to get out of it?

state on the application for duty that "lawyers are the scum of the earth".

works every time

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 10-20-2016, 12:26 PM

Originally posted by greenskeeper View Post

state on the application for duty that "lawyers are the scum of the earth".

works every time

Presumably, then, we jurors are needed all the more. We might be the only ones influencing the endpoint of a case who are not lawyers. The judge normally is, and --obviously-- the lawyers for the two sides.

**Eagle** · 10-20-2016, 01:08 PM

Originally posted by HundredK View Post

I got dismissed from a jury after being selected, because when they asked us if we would uphold the law as it was written, I clarified that I wouldn't uphold a law that was not a good law. This resulted in much ruffling of feathers, and a private interrogation with all the lawyers and the judge. I guess this is a way that some people try and get out of jury duty, and they weren't too happy about it. But they did end up dismissing me, and I stand by my opinion that I wouldn't take into account the letter of the law if the law is silly.

What I often do, and recommend doing, is just to reschedule it. You can reschedule twice, for up to 6 months out (I think). This buys you an extra year. Then, I try and schedule it the 2nd time for the week of a holiday. Court is often not held on those weeks, and you end up not getting called.

What was the not good or silly law?

**Eagle** · 10-20-2016, 01:10 PM

I think it's my civic duty to serve on a jury. I have been called 4-5 times and asked to serve on one jury. Which I did and it was a very interesting experience. Justice was served rather quickly and we came to a guilty verdict based on the evidence in less than 2-3 hours. It happened to be a 3rd strike so the judge issued the defendant a life sentence.

A second jury I was going to serve on but was dismissed because I don't believe in the death penalty.

**MonkeyMama** · 10-20-2016, 01:10 PM

Know a lot of lawyers.

{Several of our neighbors/friends are lawyers who work for the government. My husband would love to be on a jury, but this rules him out pretty quickly}.

**HundredK** · 10-20-2016, 01:26 PM

Originally posted by Eagle View Post

What was the not good or silly law?

I don't even know. All I know is that it was a criminal case. You know how after they select the jury and then before they let the rest of the pool go, they start asking questions and have the chance to boot a juror if they don't like them? It was at that point. They kept asking very pointed questions in different ways regarding whether you would uphold the law as written. I explained that it was hard to know without knowing what law they were referring to, and things just sort of went south from there. I wasn't even trying to be a jerk about it.

**DaveInPgh** · 10-20-2016, 01:39 PM

Originally posted by Eagle View Post

I think it's my civic duty to serve on a jury. I have been called 4-5 times and asked to serve on one jury. Which I did and it was a very interesting experience. Justice was served rather quickly and we came to a guilty verdict based on the evidence in less than 2-3 hours. It happened to be a 3rd strike so the judge issued the defendant a life sentence.

Then Obama granted the defendant Clemency

How can you get out of jury duty?