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Jury Duty

Johnny Dickshot Mar 01 2007 10:47 PM

Sat in a room reading Roger Angell all day waiting to be called. Other positive points: 1) Ate lunch at Popeye's 2) Didn't go to work Looks like we're doing it again tomorrow.

cooby Mar 01 2007 10:53 PM

I was on jury duty once too, we spent a day being selected and then a day or two later we had our trial (drunk driving, did she evade the officer?....it's up to you, folks) We had KFC and I got a small stipend plus mileage. And a day off from the bank!

Nymr83 Mar 01 2007 11:33 PM

i got called once, told them i was a student and college was starting back up in less than a week, they let me leave. i recently got a juror survey which i'm told is the prelude to getting called again. i wonder if "i'm a law student" will get me off any potential jury? if not i can say "i think anyone who has gotten this far into the system is most likely guilty" that'll get me out of voir dire. not sure what i'd say at a civil case though.

Frayed Knot Mar 01 2007 11:43 PM

I've never been called - which is odd seeing as I haven't moved in a while, usually vote and pay taxes and whatnot. I was sent a notice once but that was called off before the date ever arrived and I've never been called before or since.

Frayed Knot Mar 01 2007 11:43 PM

. (Avi wuz here)

cooby Mar 02 2007 06:22 AM

I know that a lot of people's first instinct is to try to get out of it, but I have never understood why. It's not a bad experience, and it's surely a break from the routine.

MFS62 Mar 02 2007 08:47 AM

I was on a murder trial jury many years ago. It was in the Bronx. Two defendants. One guy happened to see the crime (involving his friend), and showed up just as the police arrived. Time doesn't permit describing the details of the case, but it was very interesting, from the relationship of the defendants, the victim and the key witness. Deliberation took a full day. We found one guilty and the friend not guilty. We probably would have found both not guilty, but from the way the Judge "read us the law", we had no other course. Years later, I got called again, but had just started a new job. I asked for a deferment. The Judge asked if I had ever had jury duty before. I told him that I had been on a murder case, and he immediately excused me. Later

sharpie Mar 02 2007 08:57 AM

I was on a carjacking/carstripping jury about 10 years ago. The foreperson was an idiot and we ended up the first day of deliberations deadlocked on a bullshit case. I had to sort of take over the next day. We found the guy guilty on all counts but the biggest one. Montague Street isn't too bad for lunch choices. There is/was a halfway decent Indian place. They fed us kind of crappy sandwiches on deliberation day. I was called again 5 years later. Excused after sitting around one day. I was called again last year. I forgot about it and remembered the next day. I went down to the courthouse and they told me I could do it some other day so I picked a day 6 months in the future. Turned out that day was Yom Kippur. Smart move as that guaranteed far fewer lawyers in court. I called the night before and they told me not to come.

RealityChuck Mar 02 2007 08:57 AM

I was called twice. First time, I hung around watching others being questioned for half a day (it was fairly interesting), then was excused. Second time, I got to be questioned. Since I have a beard and am a writer, they dropped me like a hot supernova.

Farmer Ted Mar 02 2007 08:59 AM

Called twice to jury duty. First gig was a federal trial involving a wrongful death suit. Deliberated for about three hours and found for the defendant. Second time sat I sat in one of those waiting rooms on Centre Street for a few days. Got interviewed for a bizarre hit and run in which an alleged transvestite stole an idling cab and drove it into a mailbox in Chelsea..he/she was apparently high (didn't get picked for that one). Spent the rest of the time leafing through magazines and doing crosswords.

iramets Mar 02 2007 08:59 AM

I served as the foreman of a grand larceny jury this year. We were stuck at 11-1 for a day and a half (I was the 1) and I finally caved.

Yancy Street Gang Mar 02 2007 09:01 AM

Did you cave towards guilty or not guilty?

iramets Mar 02 2007 09:21 AM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Did you cave towards guilty or not guilty? Guilty. We'd already agreed he was he was guilty on one burglary count, but I was holding out that he had committed "grand larceny" as well. Basically, the prosecution hadn't specifically shown receipts for the property we'd found him guilty of burgling (and his defense hadn't mentioned this as a reason we should find him not guilty of grand larceny) but the other 11 were saying that , absent those receipts, we couldn't know he had stolen more than $3000 worth of stuff. My argument was that 1) if the defense wasnt arguing that point, they were (perhaps stupidly) conceding that $3000 was not much to steal (from a jeweler's house) and 2) common sense dictates that the fairly wealthy victim probably had much more than 3000 dollars in his house--"Don't you all" I argued "have way more than 3000 dollars worth of stuff in your house ? If a burglar is ripping off your place right this second, won;t you think yourself lucky if he gets only 3000 worth of stuff?" But they weren't buying, and I wanted out of there,

soupcan Mar 02 2007 09:48 AM

Agitator.

KC Mar 02 2007 10:03 AM

I was impaneled on a rape case once, but wasn't chosen. I don't know how it turned out for the creep but I was convinced he was guilty and hadn't even heard any testimony yet. His lawyer was creepy too. The whole system makes my skin crawl for the most part. Been called a bunch of other times, never saw any action though and that's fine by me.

Rockin' Doc Mar 02 2007 01:33 PM

I was called once in the late 1980's. I had to sit around the courthouse for roughly 2 hours on Monday and then we were all allowed to leave. We were given a number that we had to call by 7:30 AM every day to get a recorded instructions for that day. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the recording said I would not be needed that day and to check in tomorrow. On Thursday morning, the recording informed me that I was released of my duty as a possible juror. I couldn't work that week because I couldn't schedule patients since I never knew whether I would be at the courthouse or work. I essentially got a week off of work and a small check for having performed my civic duty. I've never been contacted again since that time.

Nymr83 Mar 02 2007 02:59 PM

New york eliminated most of the exemptions years ago, as did the feds, but is it possible that in your jurisdiction doctors are now exempt? In NYC you can expect to get a notice once every 4-5 years or so, i'm sure this varies elsewhere

Johnny Dickshot Mar 02 2007 04:00 PM

They finally interviewed me this afternoon and subsequently declared me unfit to sit in judgement of whose fault this particular traffic accident on Ave. U was -- the town car or the other car -- and how much pain & $uffering the guilty driver is therefore responsible to pay the injured town car passenger. I was disappointed not to be chosen, but think it probably related to my expressing doubt that a Dr. would knowingly perform "unnecessary surgery," which appeared to be an important strategic stance of at least one of the 3 lawyers. Only 2 of the 8 of us interviewed actually got selected. Won't serve BKLN again for 6 yearsor Federal Courts for 2 years.

metirish Mar 02 2007 04:14 PM

I'm not sure but I know before I could not serve because I was not a citizen,filled out papers to send back to the local court house years ago,I think they changed that law now though and I can be called as a resident alien.

KC Mar 02 2007 05:05 PM

I'm not creative in this sense, but imagine a pretty funny screenplay could be written about a Commisioner of Jurors and stuff that goes on with the jury selection process, how people try to ditch the obligation, the deliberation room, etc. The Commish - coming soon to a theatre near you.

Nymr83 Mar 02 2007 05:56 PM

="metirish"]I'm not sure but I know before I could not serve because I was not a citizen,filled out papers to send back to the local court house years ago,I think they changed that law now though and I can be called as a resident alien. irish is just dressing to fit in with the locals... JD- "$uffering" had me cracking up. we need tort reform, namely a cap on non-compensatory damages, pretty badly. ask any doctor in NY how high their malpractice insurance is thanmks to the threat of an insanely high pulled out of thin air number that a jury can think up