Jury Duty - Opinion/Experience

[Blue-Sun]

Since this section is an open forum, I recently completed just over a week in jury duty for a criminal case.

It was one of the worst experiences of my life. Herded like cattle, probed during the jury selection process (voir dire), got picked & it got worse from there.

Forced to stand around & wait, forced to wait in a tiny jury room, same evidence over and over again. The case was very open and shut, cops caught the guy "red-handed". He took the stand and was trying to sell a bunch of crap, that didn't make sense.

Then I had to use "vacation time" to get time off from work, as my employer doesn't prefer to pay for jury duty. Burned a tank of gas in my truck getting back and forth, I thought about taking the bike but the parking garage, which was over 6 blocks from the courthouse, didn't seem secure. I wasn't taking my brand new bike with temp tags into this area. I received no reimbursement from the court for my time, no daily stipend and no gasoline, although I did get free parking in the distant parking garage.

I try to do the right thing in life, but will think twice about exagerating my answers to the voir dire questions in the future. I feel cheated by the system for a crime I didn't commit and yes, I am bitter over the experience.

Has anyone else had a negative or horrid experience as a juror or should I chalk this up to that particular jurisdiction??

Please share your experience... Thanks.

 

[arkkornkid]

Jury Duty does suck. When I turned 18 I registered to vote and did the selective service like you're suppose to..... wasn't 2 months later I was called.

and check your state law, here your employer HAS to pay you for your time minus the small amount the court pays you: you shouldn't have to burn your vacation time.

and forgot to mention how stupid the people are that you're forced to serve with.... at least it's that way here. And I have no patience for stupidity.

 

[dart1963]

had to go three times over the last two years.... never got picked.

Sound like our government at work, just one more way to waste money.... other side is everyone deserves a fair trial... but yeah, it sounds like government workers dragging feet.

Jury Services - Frequently Asked Questions

and, sounds like in AZ, you can file for compensation for lost wages, not sure how that plays in when you get paid vacation, but you should be able to call and ask.

arkkornkid, Unless there is a law in your state to the effect of forcing employers to pay... they don't have to.

 

[owldaddy]

Try military life first, jury duty seems easy after that. Hurry up and wait, is a way of life. I got picked for a trial once, didn't mind it so much, but my employer paid for my time, so that makes things a little easier to take. I did have to give the employer the pay that I got while on jury duty, seemed fair enough.

 

[Blue-Sun]

Jury Duty does suck. When I turned 18 I registered to vote and did the selective service like you're suppose to..... wasn't 2 months later I was called.

and check your state law, here your employer HAS to pay you for your time minus the small amount the court pays you: you shouldn't have to burn your vacation time.

and forgot to mention how stupid the people are that you're forced to serve with.... at least it's that way here. And I have no patience for stupidity.

You are correct about one of my fellow jurors, who was a hold out. Stupidity would be an appropriate word. I was picked as jury foreman and used some basic logic and slowly spelled out the flaw in her thought process. I didn't bully her, but took it step by step in a fashion a 4 year old could understand. I think I had more patience then the other jurors, as they were getting aggravated with her.

 

[Blue-Sun]

Try military life first, jury duty seems easy after that. Hurry up and wait, is a way of life. I got picked for a trial once, didn't mind it so much, but my employer paid for my time, so that makes things a little easier to take. I did have to give the employer the pay that I got while on jury duty, seemed fair enough.

I'll make the assumption that you volunteered for the military and that you were not drafted. The military is known for the "hurry up and wait" standard operating procedure. Moreover, I assume the military paid you while you waited.

I didn't volunteer for jury duty, nor was I paid. I was never in the military, so I haven't been exposed that standard, so it was frustrating to say the least.

In my opinion, the whole process should have taken a day, not a week.

No wonder our courts are clogged...

 

[JonKerr]

Personally I was excited when my company finally decided to pay for jury duty. (In fact they were kind of forced to change the policy because of my job classification or something.) I was picked for a civil case last September and was in for a week. I loved it. Our case was also pretty open and shut. Basically a lady was bumped from behind at a stop light, (seriously about 2mph) she said her back was hurting. She went to a chiropractor instead of a doctor and ended up with an ambulance chaser. The chiropractor suggested she bring her daughters in and "made" them go in 3 times a week for 3 years, came up with diagnosis that were't possible (according to the expert witness) never collected a penny and talked her into suing the lady that bumped them for $100,000. Needless to say we didn't give them a penny and it was unanimous. (Except the child abuse lawyer on the jury who wanted to give the kids $10K each for having to go through the whole thing. )

I was able to commute on my bike (something I don't get to do ever with my job) I learned a lot about the legal system, actually met a few nice people, and was able to get away from work for a little while.

 

[dart1963]

I didn't volunteer for jury duty, nor was I paid. I was never in the military, so I haven't been exposed that standard, so it was frustrating to say the least.

In my opinion, the whole process should have taken a day, not a week.

No wonder our courts are clogged...

Just a quick disagreement... you did volunteer for jury duty... it's how we "pay" to vote if you want to view it that way. But I don't see it as "pay", more, I get a say in our legal system's outcome.

And a quick agreement... you shouldn't have to sacrifice your normal pay to do your duty. I'm lucky as others, that my work covers the difference, but I do believe in most all states, if your employer doesn't cover jury duty, the state will. I'd say if they don't, that's a pretty good reason to decline when asked why you can't serve. And another agreement, yeah, it's a shame that what should take a day, takes more.

 

[Blue-Sun]

Just a quick disagreement... you did volunteer for jury duty... it's how we "pay" to vote if you want to view it that way. But I don't see it as "pay", more, I get a say in our legal system's outcome.

And a quick agreement... you shouldn't have to sacrifice your normal pay to do your duty. I'm lucky as others, that my work covers the difference, but I do believe in most all states, if your employer doesn't cover jury duty, the state will. I'd say if they don't, that's a pretty good reason to decline when asked why you can't serve. And another agreement, yeah, it's a shame that what should take a day, takes more.

Just one point of clarification, many states pick jurors from the Driver's License rolls, not the voter registration rolls. I need to do more research about Arizona, but I know Maryland (previous state of residence) along with other states pick it's jurors from the driver license rolls, if you have a driver's license, then you are in the pool.

 

[streetmaster]

Seems we have it a bit different here in Aus.
I have done jury duty twice a while ago. I was paid $40 per day expenses & the law states that your employer must pay you while away, no matter how long the case takes.

 

[Roaddawg]

Instead of blaming the court system, how about blaming the jacka$$es blatantly breaking the law AND then drag it through the court process through trials, litigation, appeals.....they're the ones really clogging it up. If these people would just take responsibility for their actions....You'd be amazed at how many cases the DA's just plead the criminals down to just to save court time.

Jury duty is for retired people and those not smart enough to get out of it! just kidding. Next time duty the selection process for a criminal case, just say, "I believe if the Police arrest someone, then they are guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and should go to jail..." The prosecutor would love you but the defense will make sure you head home!

 

[dart1963]

Just one point of clarification, many states pick jurors from the Driver's License rolls, not the voter registration rolls. I need to do more research about Arizona, but I know Maryland (previous state of residence) along with other states pick it's jurors from the driver license rolls, if you have a driver's license, then you are in the pool.

ugh, yeah, forgot about that.. I think VA did that a while back as well... seems people decided they just wouldn't vote and the jury pool got low... but still... do you want to drive? lol

Make sure to look into pay from state... With the exception of pay, I'd try to look on the bright side (I've had a bad exp.with going three times, only to find out I had to go back to work!), it's an insight into real court cases (not tv drama) and you get a say in what happens with legal issues in your district.

 

[Blue-Sun]

Instead of blaming the court system, how about blaming the jacka$$es blatantly breaking the law AND then drag it through the court process through trials, litigation, appeals.....they're the ones really clogging it up. If these people would just take responsibility for their actions....You'd be amazed at how many cases the DA's just plead the criminals down to just to save court time.

Jury duty is for retired people and those not smart enough to get out of it! just kidding. Next time duty the selection process for a criminal case, just say, "I believe if the Police arrest someone, then they are guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and should go to jail..." The prosecutor would love you but the defense will make sure you head home!

I was trying to keep my integrity and honesty intact, but I will "exagerate" in the jury selection process, next time.

You are 100% right about the criminals, and I hope he does time for this burglary. He could get anywhere from probation to 8 years. After the trial, I dug into the public records database and found this individual had committed the same crime about 1.5 years ago, but was acquitted. I can only guess he didn't learn from his previous experience with the judicial system.

 

[FZ1inNH]

I served once and the case was not open and shut.... but, the company I work for pays me regardless. I am salaried there and get paid whether I am there or not. They are self-insured for short-term disability so I get six months of paid sick time that never touches my vacation. I certainly don't take advantage of it though..... too many and it could spell trouble. No issues with jury though.

Sorry you have the troubles that you did when this all took place. I can easily see how it leaves a sour taste in your mouth given what you've described.

 

[Spunky99]

First off, I live in California and second I don't get paid for jury duty and third, I am on call 24 7 and it takes weeks to get a day off because the coverage of my position takes a lot to do and training someone is a real pain.
So I lose a ton of $$ to go sit and be herded like cattle for a day.
What a waste of my time.....

So when I call into the automated registration I hit the button to indicate I am not a US Citizen and I get deleted from the Jury Duty.
The last time I went, I called a sidebar and told the Judge I was on pain killers for an external hemorroidectomy I got 3 days before. Nuff said...no one wanted me in there.

Let the retired people do it...

 

[owldaddy]

Not complaining, but I'd like to get the facts straight.

I'll make the assumption that you volunteered for the military and that you were not drafted.

You are correct, I volunteered for the Navy in 1970, why? because there was a draft and I preferred the Navy rather then going into the Army. I got some great training and became a propulsion engineer. Toughest nastiest job in the fleet, but worth it after I got out. I put that training to use and had a nice career.

Moreover, I assume the military paid you while you waited.

Right you are, $64 every 2 weeks while I was in training. Richard Nixon doubled my pay in 1971.......

In my opinion, the whole process should have taken a day, not a week.

Your right again, court takes a long time sometimes. They want to make it as fair as they can, so they will go out of their way to do so, that includes dragging out the process for as long as it takes.

 

[WenMark]

I served my Jury Duty and did not mind it. It is our civic duty as an American. By the way I teach Government to high schoolers.

 

[Blue-Sun]

Not complaining, but I'd like to get the facts straight.
You are correct, I volunteered for the Navy in 1970, why? because there was a draft and I preferred the Navy rather then going into the Army. I got some great training and became a propulsion engineer. Toughest nastiest job in the fleet, but worth it after I got out. I put that training to use and had a nice career.
Right you are, $64 every 2 weeks while I was in training. Richard Nixon doubled my pay in 1971.......
Your right again, court takes a long time sometimes. They want to make it as fair as they can, so they will go out of their way to do so, that includes dragging out the process for as long as it takes.

I apologize if I offended you.

I think part of my malfunction is the "perp" burglarized a parsonage. I found this to be distasteful.

So in addition to burning a week of vacation and a tank of gas, I had to listen to a felon lie about stealing from the church.

 

[bestmapman]

Couple of questiohs.

1) What questions did they ask to get on the jury.

2) What was the deliberations like.

3) How did you determine the verdict, was it a secret ballot.

 

[Blue-Sun]

Couple of questiohs.

1) What questions did they ask to get on the jury.

2) What was the deliberations like.

3) How did you determine the verdict, was it a secret ballot.

(1) Did you know any of the individuals? Were you a member of that church? Have you been involved in a court case? Occupation? Married or Single? How many kids do you have under 18? Do you know anyone in Law Enforcement? Have you been affected by a violent crime?

(2) Fairly quick, it was an open and shut case. All but one of us was convinced of guilt after about 15 minutes of deliberations. I was the jury foreman, so I went over the evidence again with the hold out in a very slow and logical manner, pointing out the flaw in her logic trail. She was OK, after that. Whole process about 45 minutes.

(3) Verdict - voted out loud, no secret ballot.