Grand Jury Summons

[athena53]

Some states do not have an out based on older age.

Oops- just checked mine- Missouri. No maximum age limit. I'll do my best to serve if called.

 

[JoeWras]

Since we are tallying our service, here's mine!

- Called for US District jury over a 1 month window. Never had to step foot in the courthouse - nothing to try.

- Called for county jury. Clerk said we'll be called around 11am. At 3pm, she announces that the lawyers are a bunch of clusters (I think that is the term she used - she was out of her mind frustrated) and therefore we all should go home and was very sorry that THEY wasted my time, your time, the judge's time and the taxpayers' dollars.

It was interesting.

 

[Momcpa]

My adult son recently got a "please report for Jury duty" note in the mail. We live in the Midwest USA........he's currently living in the Philippines. I returned it to our courthouse with a note letting them know of his new address. I text him about the notice and said "I wonder if they pay mileage!"

 

[Koolau]

If I understand correctly, grand jury members are allowed to ask questions. I think that would make the process interesting. My "indict-a-ham-sandwich" resistance would likely rear its ugly rear if I were ever asked to serve. YMMV

 

[Sanstar]

Called up for jury duty 5 times; selected once over 20 years. DH never got called…where’s the justice in this part of the legal system? After moving to a different county, here in the Great State of Texas, he got called up. So far…not me. Have been happy to do my part but am still recovering from sciatica and just don’t know how I would hold up with all that sitting. Especially on hard benches.

 

[REWahoo]

I've was notified of jury duty a dozen or so times before aging out, including once for Federal Grand Jury duty. Never actually served on a jury, and only made it to the voir dire process once.

 

[MichaelB]

I was on a jury for a murder re-trial that lasted close to 3 months. This was in NY, and we got paid $14 a day (IIRC). Also on the jury were 4 retirees, all had small pensions and were just getting by. They used the money to go out for lunch, even though lunch was provided from a local deli that was pretty good. It was just the feeling of having some spending money in their pocket …

For the deliberations we were sequestered for 3 days. That was fun …

 

[braumeister]

For the deliberations we were sequestered for 3 days. That was fun …

My mom was sequestered for over two weeks in a crummy little motel in Staten Island. She complained about that for years!

 

[audreyh1]

I forgot about my Federal Court summons. It was all done by mail, email and phone calls. I was in Kerrville and would have had to drive all the way to San Antonio. I was on call for a month, but my number was very high, so I never got called. Still it crimped our travel plans that month.

DH was summoned to appear for jury selection in a Federal Court in McAllen a few years ago. He ultimately wasn’t selected because he flat out said he would never agree to a 20 year prison sentence for someone being found with a pound of MJ. Apparently the prosecutor really argued with him, but the judge even said DH had made some good points.

 

[Car-Guy]

Absolutely true story..

I was once called in for jury service and was sitting in the court house among ~75 other prospective jurors. Which was a full court house in this rural county. Anyway, we sat there waiting to get started as the lawyer's were getting all setup... After about 30mins, the defendant came in and took his seat. He took one look at the "potential jury of his peers", then got up and ask the bailiff to take him back to holding room. Another 30 mins went by and finally the judge came out and said the defendant was changing his request for a jury trial and plea of not guilty to guilty. The judge was not happy about having called all us in, based on his original plea and request for a jury trial...

I often wonder what he saw in the court room that made him change his mind and what the case was about and how his last minute change may have affected his sentencing.

 

[aaronc879]

My mom was sequestered for over two weeks in a crummy little motel in Staten Island. She complained about that for years!

As long as I got a room to myself I would consider it a paid vacation. Where do I sign up?

 

[MichaelB]

I still remember the jury selection process, which was mind boggling. Because of the expected length of the trial the initial group was more than 100, quite a few didn’t want to serve and were quite vocal about it. One man put on a rabbit costume, and another showed up dressed in a bathrobe with a giant diaper underneath. A jury is supposed to be “peers of the accused” and I couldn’t stop asking myself whose peer they were.

Lots of people had rather lame reasons to not serve and I was surprised at how tough and unyielding the judge was.

 

[Koolau]

I forgot about my Federal Court summons. It was all done by mail, email and phone calls. I was in Kerrville and would have had to drive all the way to San Antonio. I was on call for a month, but my number was very high, so I never got called. Still it crimped our travel plans that month.

DH was summoned to appear for jury selection in a Federal Court in McAllen a few years ago. He ultimately wasn’t selected because he flat out said he would never agree to a 20 year prison sentence for someone being found with a pound of MJ. Apparently the prosecutor really argued with him, but the judge even said DH had made some good points.

20 years? Some folks don't get that much for 2nd degree murder and certainly not for vehicular manslaughter. YMMV

 

[MichaelB]

My mom was sequestered for over two weeks in a crummy little motel in Staten Island. She complained about that for years!

That must have been tough indeed. We were just 3 days and the acrimony was strong.

 

[audreyh1]

Absolutely true Story..

I was once called in for jury service and was sitting in the court house among ~75 other prospective jurors. Which was a full court house in this rural county. Anyway, we sat there waiting to get started as the lawyer's were getting all setup... After about 30mins, the defendant came in and took his seat. He took one look at the "potential jury of his peers", then got up and ask the bailiff to take him back to holding room. Another 30 mins went by and finally the judge came out and said the defendant was changing his request for a jury trial and plea of not guilty to guilty. The judge was not happy about having called all us in, based on his original plea and request for a jury trial...

I often wonder what he saw in the court room that made him change his mind and what the case was about and how his last minute change may have affected his sentencing.

It’s not that unusual from what I understand.

DH was selected a few years ago for a county trial. I picked him up for lunch - he had to go back afterwards where they would start the trial. Got a call during lunch - no trial! Yes, we were doing the happy dance.

 

[Ian S]

I often wonder what he saw in the court room that made him change his mind and what the case was about and how his last minute change may have affected his sentencing.

Maybe it was your gesture of the outstretched index finger moving across your throat!

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^
Actually I think (but I am not sure) that is was more of a demographics issue. I heard later that it was a drug dealer case, but again, I'm not sure of that either.

 

[braumeister]

It’s not that unusual from what I understand.

I have a friend here who is a public defender and he says that happens all the time.

 

[Car-Guy]

I have a friend here who is a public defender and he says that happens all the time.

You know that must PO the "court" putting them to all the trouble to setup a jury trial, not to mention all the "citizens" that get called in. Just adds to the backlog.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

About 20 years ago I got summoned for regular jury duty. I can’t remember if it was murder or attempted murder but it was one.
Of course I get selected as a potential juror and the lawyers are determining who to keep and who to kick.
The defendant and the victim were both of Hmong heritage.
Since I worked in social services I was familiar with the Hmong culture.
Attorneys asked me if I was familiar with their culture so of course I said yes.
At that point the judge stopped everything and had everyone but me and the attorneys ( and of course the judge) leave the courtroom.
So there I sat with them asking me this and that. Mostly about the hierarchy within the Hmong community.
They finish and bring everyone back into the courtroom.
Everyone gets settled in and then I got excused from being a juror.
Apparently I knew too much? [emoji2368]

When I was walking out all the potential jurors were asking what I said to get kicked off!
It was a bizarre experience.

 

[audreyh1]

You know that must PO the "court" putting them to all the trouble to setup a jury trial, not to mention all the "citizens" that get called in. Just adds to the backlog.

I imagine that when it finally gets to trial, some “oh sh!t” realizations come in to play. I don’t see how this can be helped.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^
Probably true in many such cases.

 

[MichaelB]

I imagine that when it finally gets to trial, some “oh sh!t” realizations come in to play. I don’t see how this can be helped.

I think it is also a negotiation technique between attorneys looking for a deal.

 

[scrabbler1]

I was selected for jury duty 3 times, all in Nassau County, Long Island.

The first was in November, 1987, in Mineola, the county seat. After waiting most of the day in Central Jury (an auditorium; they had no real accommodations back then), I got called with a bunch of others to get bused to the nearby criminal court building. I was relieved because of my professional background in auto insurance which might get me kicked off a civil case if it involved an insurance company. I ended up getting on a shoplifting case. Spread out over a week, the trial lasted 2 days and we convicted the 39-year-old housewife and mother of 2 kids, hardly a typical shoplifter. The trial started at 11 AM, so it was nice sleeping in and having a short drive to the courthouse instead of a 7 AM wake-up and an annoying LIRR train and subway ride to Manhattan. I found a great place to have lunch which was a great hot turkey sandwich in a basement coffee shop of a nearby office building.

The second was in June, 1996, in Hempstead, near Mineola. At the time, they held trials there but not any more (only arraignments). I was among several potential jurors being questioned for a drunk driving case. But the next day, the defendant and DA struck a plea bargain, so I was back in Central Jury for 2 more days. The accommodations were better, as we had access to a TV, tables, and board games. I was filling in for a Monopoly player who had to use the rest room when we played a joke on her. I hid her money and flipped over all her property cards so she would think she went nearly bankrupt in the few minutes she was away. I didn't get selected for another case.

The third was in October, 2007, back in Mineola. I was among 30 potential jurors chosen for a civil case (construction accident). In civil cases, there is no judge for the jury selection, only the lawyers handle it. And they like to yak up a storm! They went through 25 of us in 6 hours, not counting me and a few others, and had their 6 jurors and an alternate. It was 4 PM and I was dismissed from further jury service. I was working part-time by then, and the day was one of my awful New Jersey trips, so I was spared the commute that day while receiving full pay, like the other 2 times.

But the most meaningful jury summons was the one I didn't have to obey. In late 1986, I received a notice from the Manhattan courts to appear for jury duty. However, I had moved out of Manhattan back in March (to Long Island), so I sent the notice back, including the envelope which showed the Post Office's forwarding label and some other proof of current residence. There was a really big case on the docket in late 1986, the 1984 Bernie Goetz subway shooting case. I wonder if I would have gotten on that case, mainly because I was out of town on vacation the 11 days after the shooting so I missed a lot of the early publicity following the shooting.

I have not been called since 2007. I turn 60 in a few months, and as I recall anyone 65 and over can claim an automatic exemption, one of the few still left after an overhaul of the system in the mid-1990s. Maybe I'll get called again, maybe not.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Grand juries are very different than petit juries. The regular jury summons is to serve at a criminal trial, where you can be there days or weeks on end. Grand juries serve once per week, for a period of 3-6 months. You review multiple cases for indictment or complex cases for the same, or provide oversight.

My dad served on a grand jury for six months in California when I was a teenager. He found it fascinating and absolutely loved the experience.

I was summoned three times for regular jury duty, twice as a physician, but was able to defer due to my occupation (the only pediatrician in the hospital overnight). The first time was the week after I graduated from college, and I was picked for the jury. It was a short case, and rather uninteresting.

I would enjoy serving on a grand jury.