Jury duty

[KaiineTN]

Fuck this. They want me to go on finals week? Yeah, right. Go ahead, fine me, give me three days imprisonment, order community service for me having priorities and not giving a shit about my "civil duty" for a federal court.

Why is jury duty seen as mandatory, anyways? Does the government own our lives and allow us to do what we want until they need us for something? Something bothers me about this.

Should I just not show up, or call and try to get out of it (written request declined), and if they say no, still not show up?

[Naethyn]

Call the clerk of courts. Tell them the situation. They will take you off the list. It's the people who don't call that get into trouble.

(my mother is a clerk of courts =p)

[Gypsiyee]

seriously, so easy to get out of jury duty. bit of an overreaction, eh. keep up the good fight rebelling against the man.

[KaiineTN]

Is it easy without actually needing to go show up for the screening bullshit? >_<

[Arlos]

Jury duty is a civic duty. You know, something you give back for the benefits of living in a republic with a trial by jury system, so that others can enjoy the same benefits as you.

It's not exactly a huge imposition either, unless you somehow end up on a case, and given your circumstances, that won't happen. Even if you *DO* have to even show up (50% odds at least you wouldn't, given no other factors), most of the screening you're sitting in a large room anyway, so you could certainly take your notes and a textbook with you and study there.

They ask everyone who has an excuse as to why they should be dismissed to let the bailiff know, and after you wait for people ahead of you, you just explain it's finals week and you have no time to serve. Last time I got called, I got out by explaining I was unemployed and had a job interview that week. I immediately got waived and sent home.

This is hardly some tyrannical government conspiracy, and treating it as such, when you SHOULD know the reasons for it, is pretty sad.

-Arlos

[KaiineTN]

I don't consider it some kind of conspiracy, but I am rather uncomfortable with the fact that I don't have the liberty to tell the government no without fear of fines/jail/community service, etc.

I'm sure there are plenty of people willing and able to pass judgment on others. I do not wish to be forced into such a thing.

[Maeya]

I don't consider it some kind of conspiracy, but I am rather uncomfortable with the fact that I don't have the liberty to tell the government no without fear of fines/jail/community service, etc.

Have you read the above posts at all? You DO have the liberty to tell the government 'no' without fear of fines/jail/community service, etc. You simply have to tell them, instead of being a no-show, no-call.

[Eziekial]

Actually, you can't just say "no" you have to have an excuse. Real or not, you have to come up with "something" that will get you excused not just call up and tell the clerk "I don't feel like it." That will not get you off.

[Maeya]

Err, yeah. I guess I didn't clarify, but I had meant in his case with the finals, he could explain why he would not be able to attend.

Sorry

[Evermore]

btw playing the roll doesnt work.


I got out of it by simply saying " if they got themselves into this position then they are guilty by default."

[KaiineTN]

Called the clerk today and she said she didn't have the authority to get me out of it and that I have to appear in open court and talk to the judge about it on the day I was summoned. I wrote a letter. I called. I explained. She said there is no way to get a hold of the judge prior to that date.

She said the pool of people for jury duty comes from driver's licenses/id's, voter registration, etc., and that there is no way to get off the list. This is ridiculous.

I guess at this point I'm just going to be a no show, and if I get called in to explain, I can at least say I wrote the letter, called, etc. I have my priorities, and I'd dig through shit looking for gold before I'd show up for this.

[Foutty]

You're retarded

[Tossica]

yeah, it doesn't really work like that. You'll be penalized, I'm sure. Your school HAS to make arrangements for you for jury duty as well. Ask them what to do.

[Arlos]

You're making an Olympus Mons out of a molehill here.

They're not asking you to get flayed alive and then jump into a vat of lemon juice or something. Indeed, the whole attitude that you're too good to have to fulfill your civic obligation is somewhat infuriating.

It really is very simple, from my experience: On the day before you're supposed to show up, they have a number you can call to see if you ACTUALLY need to show up. Odds are maybe 50/50 that you'll actually have to go. So far, you're out a phone call. THE HORRORS.

Even if you have to go, just take a backpack with your notes and/or the textbook you're studying with you to the court. At worst you'll have to sit in a semi-uncomfortable chair for a few hours while you wait as part of the group who claim to have an excuse to meet with the judge. Use the time to study, which you'd be doing anyway. Oh noes, you can't listen to music cause you need to listen for the bailiff's instructions. My heart doeth bleed for your suffering.

Once they have collected everyone who says they have an excuse, you'll get to go see the judge, who will ask what your reason for being unable to serve is. You tell her that you're a college student and this is the middle of finals, and there is no way you can reconcile your studies with any sort of jury service at the moment, and since grades need to be submitted by a certain date, there's no way you could reschedule the tests for some time in any sort of even moderately distant future. 100% odds the judge will tell you "OK, you're dismissed", and you will be immediately free to get into your car and head home.

Now, if the duty is scheduled for a time when a final is scheduled, that is slightly more complicated, but employers and suchlike are LEGALLY BOUND to let you go to Jury Duty. Your professors are no different. You show them the summons, and ask them to reschedule your test, and they'll do it.

Sorry, but your railing against your "suffering" is rather silly. WORST case you're out travel time to and from the courthouse, and maybe you get slightly less studying done than you would have at home, though possibly not, given that at home there's more distractions. Your "priorities" are seriously out of whack, sir. Sympathy meter reading: ZERO.

-Arlos

[Harrison]

I'm sort of with Kaiine.

I think trial by jury is fucking stupid anyways. I don't want the common moron deciding people's fates.

[Gypsiyee]

I have my priorities, and I'd dig through shit looking for gold before I'd show up for this.

with that attitude, I'm not sure why you even get the right to vote, to be honest. like 15 minutes to take care of the situation is really putting you out of your way?

I think trial by jury is fucking stupid anyways. I don't want the common moron deciding people's fates.

I find this quote incredibly interesting from someone who just joined the service to protect our democracy.

[Harrison]

It's entirely different.

I have nothing to do with the civilian justice system.

[KaiineTN]

The problem I have is that it is in no way voluntary. You are legally obligated to do this, or face the consequences of not showing up when called. That is a direct assault on my personal liberty by the State. This isn't a "I'm too good for it" or "I don't feel like it" argument. This assumes that the government inherently owns your time and labor and can call upon it whenever they want. This, to me, is infuriating.

In the letter I wrote them earlier, I didn't even mention I was a student, because at the time that didn't even seem like a reason to give compared to my other feelings about it. That letter was declined, but probably wouldn't have been if I had included the fact that I was a student. I didn't even consider being a student an issue until they sent the dates out, at which point it was too late to use it as an excuse, apparently.

As for my right to vote? If exercising that "right" means the government can intrude in my life and call on me when it pleases, then I will gladly forfeit that supposed right. Unfortunately, it wont matter. The list pool comes from too many other sources.

[Maeya]

In the letter I wrote them earlier, I didn't even mention I was a student, because at the time that didn't even seem like a reason to give compared to my other feelings about it.

...




So you wrote them a letter whining about how stupid Jury Duty is and how you felt it was unfair that you had to go and didn't even mention the fact that you were a student and it fell during finals week?


I'm ... speechless.

[brinstar]

yeah flink seriously

man sometimes you're a goober

but this time... this time you're a fucking FDA-approved grade-A fuckwad

[KaiineTN]

I was supposed to magically know that it would fall on finals week, then? I don't see being a student in general as much of an excuse. Having times conflict with finals is a damned good one, though.

[Harrison]

Lol you're taking this way too ridiculously, wow.

[Arlos]

You should have been able to tell. At least at the university I go to, they publish the finals schedule at the beginning of the semester, right along with all the other important dates. I can't imagine where you go is any different. Not like the dates are going to change over the course of the semester.

I repeat: If the duty is at the same time as a scheduled test, GO SEE YOUR PROFESSOR. Show him/her your jury summons, and they are REQUIRED to allow you to reschedule your test, just like employers are required to let their workers go, without any negative repercussions. You'll barely even lose any studying time if you bring your notes and books with you.

-Arlos

[KaiineTN]

Arlos... Finals dates have always been known. By the time they gave me the jury duty date it was too late to get out of it. Prior to that, I was given a window of several months when I *could* be called. After I received that, I wrote the letter. I didn't think that I would be called at all, let alone on finals week.

The exact times don't conflict. It will just eat up time and create more unnecessary things to worry about during an already stressful week. Sorry that I'm self-centered and consider my personal education more important than civic duty? But regardless of that, this is an issue that I'm looking at based on principle. Whether it takes 5 minutes or 5 hours doesn't matter.

[Nusk]

want some cheese with your whine?

oh nohz civic duty is interrupting my life stop it now