Jury Duty

[tarcone]

I am being called into our county courthouse for jury duty tomorrow. This is a first for me and I am curious how it will play out.
Some question: Do I dress casually? How early should I arrive? Should I take the DS to kill time?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I am being called into our county courthouse for jury duty tomorrow. This is a first for me and I am curious how it will play out.
Some question: Do I dress casually? How early should I arrive? Should I take the DS to kill time?

Business casual I'd say.

And I'd be careful about the DS, some judges really hate that shit. On my turn last year we weren't even allowed to bring books, really depends on the judge best I can figure.

[Young Drachma]

You can bring it, but I wouldn't bring it out unless it's clear that nothing is going on and that you all are just waiting post-questionnaire. They got us out of there pretty fast when I did it (well, not me..I got selected, but the others) after an hour or so, if you weren't going to be selected, but..if you live in a populated place then it might be a longer affair I suspect.

[Bisbo]

Business casual is fine, and no need to get there any earlier than the summons says. The DS is probably OK (don't use it in the courtroom though)

[DaddyTorgo]

yeah - you can bring whatever you want for in the waiting room, but leave that shit in there and don't bring it into the courtroom

[Ryche]

Definitely bring the DS or something for the waiting room. You can potentially spend a lot of time in that waiting room. When I had duty, they let us wear jeans.

[thesloppy]

I bet you could get away with a DS and casual dress. No need to be early, there's guaranteed to be stragglers, and courthouse workers are specially selected for their ability to move at glacial speeds.

I had a judge who clipped his nails in the courtroom everyday...and a fellow juror who was studying to be a pilot and drew very bad cartoon airplanes in his notebook all day, another that was opposed to the entire case in principal because he had friends "who had been through worse", another that said several times how she just wanted to give the plaintiff a "big hug", and another that had been unemployed for months and was more than happy just to have something to do...and two high school girls.

The lesson I took home from jury duty was: never do anything that would put your fate in the hands of your peers.

[primelord]

Are you in Franklin or St. Louis County? Not that it matters much I suppose, but I have been through the process for St. Louis county. There is a lot going on at the Clayton court house and you can expect a pretty long wait before your group is even questioned.

There were certainly people in casual dress while I was there, but business casual is certainly appropriate and probably the best way to go imo. As others have said the DS will be fine in the waiting room, and again you will be in there likely for a good while. I don't think you will have much problem outside of the waiting room. Common sense will tell you not to be playing around with it in the court room.

[tarcone]

I will be in Franklin County.

I have to go in at 3 pm. I called to make sure I was needed and the message indicated that there was an 8:30 groupl also.
I hope this means I will be in and out fairly quickly.

[flere-imsaho]

Echoed the comments suggesting business casual and bring stuff to do in the waiting room. There will be a good amount of time when you're doing nothing, and then there will be a time (possibly, possibly not) when you're in the room with the judge going through a selection process (this prior to actually getting on a jury at all). Those times in the waiting room it will be very clear than you need to entertain yourself, so bring the DS for this. Don't use the DS in the actual room with the judge.

[Coffee Warlord]

Hell, I wore shorts and sandals to the trial itself when I was on a jury, and no one said a word. And I was foreman.

[Samdari]

Go naked except a holstered gun. Your waiting time will be significantly reduced, so you can leave the DS at home.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Samdari

Go naked except a holstered gun. Your waiting time will be significantly reduced, so you can leave the DS at home.

Better yet, wear a holster without a gun. They'll wonder where the hell you've hid the firearm. Adds a bit of fun to the whole farce.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I am being called into our county courthouse for jury duty tomorrow. This is a first for me and I am curious how it will play out.
Some question: Do I dress casually? How early should I arrive? Should I take the DS to kill time?

Business casual is good. I brought a book that I read so I think a DS is okay just as long as you are paying attention when they request it.

[lordscarlet]

I've been called twice in DC and I have never made it out of the waiting room.

I would assume that you can brign whatever you want (our waiting room has wifi and I bring my laptop), but once you're in a courtroom you don't pull it out. I have spent 6 hours in the waiting room and been sent home. They play a movie and have a vending machine -- don't get stuck sitting for 6 hours with nothing to do.

[JonInMiddleGA]

{still wondering what this "waiting room" is}

On my trip, we showed up, hung out in the courthouse lobby for a few minutes until the courtroom was ready then filed, were empaneled and that's where we would have been for the rest of the day except for a lunch break (or until the rcvd enough info to realize that they wouldn't need all of us).

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

{still wondering what this "waiting room" is}

Both of my experiences were with Cook County courthouses in IL. The first one was in one of the burbs, and there were several dozen of us prospective jurors who showed up, the majority of whom spent the morning in a waiting room. That particular courthouse looked like it had maybe 10 or so courtrooms, all busy.

My second experience was at one of the courthouses in downtown IL. The "waiting room" was an open area taking up most of an entire floor of a downtown office building and easily had several hundred prospective jurors in it. Luckily I was able to get out of waiting as I had just moved to Lake County, IL (albeit for just 6 months, as it turned out).

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

{still wondering what this "waiting room" is}

On my trip, we showed up, hung out in the courthouse lobby for a few minutes until the courtroom was ready then filed, were empaneled and that's where we would have been for the rest of the day except for a lunch break (or until the rcvd enough info to realize that they wouldn't need all of us).

In DC (and I believe VA is the same) there is a waiting room. When you arrive, you have not been assigned a potential case. As cases come about during the day, a judge requests a pool of jurors. As the judge is ready to interview the pool of jurors, that pool is called into the courtroom.

The waiting room has rows and rows of chairs, as well as a few TVs playing a movie. There are also a few round tables with chairs for people that decided to bring a laptop. You do not have to stay in that room -- you can go ot the snack room, bathroom, etc until they announce another pool of jurors are going to be called.

[tarcone]

Ok it turns out this was to be selected for a Grand Jury. There was about 30 of us in the courtroom. The county prosecuting attorney asked the room some questions, then excused us and met with the judge and they selected 13 of us to serve. Service is once a month through March.

I got selected.

[terpkristin]

But the real question is did you bring your DS and what did you wear?

I got called for jury duty once, but the defendant thought I looked familiar, so they excused me, I got to go home at 10 (after getting there at 8..I was upset I didn't bring entertainment).

/tk

[RainMaker]

I recently had to go after being able to delay it. Basically sat in a room, watched a video about the process, waited some more, then was told that they weren't going to trial and we could go home at around 3pm.

I brought a book to read but others were playing on cell phones and such. One guy had a PSP and another a laptop. This was the waiting area though which I'm guessing you can do just about anything.

The lowpoint was heading to a vending machine at 2pm and finding they had Andy Capp's Hot Chili Cheese Steak Fries. I picked it but it got stuck on the ring and never dropped. Didn't have anymore singles on me. Hadn't seen those things in forever and was devestated.

[tarcone]

I went with khakis and a polo. Played Civ Revolution for about 20 minutes and we were called in.

I get to hear cases involving drugs, homocide, sex, Could be interesting.

[RPI-Fan]

FYI on a grand jury you are just the prosecutor's puppet - won't be any actual decision-making.

[DaddyTorgo]

grand jury hmm? that's cool

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I went with khakis and a polo. Played Civ Revolution for about 20 minutes and we were called in.

I get to hear cases involving drugs, homocide, sex, Could be interesting.

I know a lot of people poo-poo jury duty, but I think you'll find it's an interesting experience. You'll learn a lot about the system and the proof needed to push a case to the trial stage.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

FYI on a grand jury you are just the prosecutor's puppet - won't be any actual decision-making.

Unless you want to read up on your rights and start convincing people to broaden or narrow the indictments. Haven't seen a good runaway jury in a while outside Grisham novels. (I don't suggest trying to extort the parties involved however. )

I had jury duty today too. Once they actually went to one trial and announced it would be done today, I didn't mind serving, but I'd already filled out the questionnaire and said the officers lied the last time I was in court. C'est la vie.

[rowech]

Glad so many of you had a good experience. It was one of the most miserable times of my life. Had an aggravated burglary case where it was basically two people's word against each other and the only other witness was one of the guy's sisters. Both came up with crazy stories as to what happen, I have a feeling the truth was somewhere in between. Went to a vote and it was 8-4 not guilty simply for lack of evidence. Then we stayed another three hours and got nowhere...went home, came back, two people had changed their minds overnight to make it 10-2. Another guy changed his mind in an hour to make it 11-1. We proceded to stay another five hours as an older guy (70 or so) displayed pure racism and agism. I really felt I was in the movie "Twelve Angry Men" Eventually, he just changed his mind. Lawyers later told us they couldn't believe we took that long over such a case...it was just insanity really. I hope I never have to do it again...which probably means I'll get called again in June once my year is up.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by rowech

I hope I never have to do it again...which probably means I'll get called again in June once my year is up.

In DC you can only be called after two years. I moved to DC 5 years ago. One year in I got called in. 2 years and 2 days later I got called again.

[Kodos]

I was on a murder trial jury when I lived in Chicago. I'm pretty sure the people who were originally in the "not guilty" camp changed their minds because they wanted to go home. It didn't do much to bolster my belief in the system, but we did at least (correctly) convict the gang member. Apparently he was an arsonist in addition to being a murderer.

Edit: Found my previous post on a similar topic that goes into a bit more detail.

Originally Posted by Kodos

When I lived in Chicago, I ended up on a jury for a gang-related murder trial. It was sad. After hearing the testimony and being sent to make our deliberations, we ended up with a few people who said they would never vote guilty, even though he was clearly guilty. One lady said he was too cute to be a murderer. A couple others seemed like they wouldn't vote guilty because of his race. Anyhow, we went around and around for a couple days, until they finally changed their mind. In the end, I think they changed their mind not because anyone convinced them, but because they just wanted to go home and watch TV or something. So we got the right verdict, but most likely not for the right reason.

[tucker rocky]

I received a jury summons today.
The date of the jury duty is 10/31/11.
I'm thinking of renting a gumby costume, while also wearing a shirt, tie, and jacket.

"I'm Gumby Dammit, I get excused from jury duty!

[JediKooter]

You should go in dressed as Judge Dredd.

[tarcone]

As stated earlier, we were the prosecuters puppets. We got to hear 20-25 cases in about 3 hours. Indicted everyone and went home. Heard some names I knew. Had some crazy cases. There are some sick puppies out there. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed. it.
Sorry this is so late.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by tarcone

As stated earlier, we were the prosecuters puppets. . . .

Ty ty.

[SportsDino]

I was on jury duty, went most of a week only to have them settle near the end when it was clear which way it was going early on, so mostly felt like a waste of time.

Very boring case near the front end of the banks foreclosing on everyone scandals (in this case a soldier while at war).

Bring something to read or do in the deliberation room as they probably don't want you talking too much about the case during most of it. After a few days it mostly devolved into cracking random jokes and trying to get the giggles under control before going back into the court room.

[Suburban Rhythm]

1) How is there no Pauly Shore picture in here yet?

2) My jury duty experience, which I've probably shared in another jury duty thread-

This older guy showed up in a flannel shirt and overalls. All that was missing was the bare feet and piece of straw in his mouth.

Once we (24) were moved to the court room where we were questioned by the lawyers to whittle the group to 12, he got even better.

Asked if he could remain impartial, he answered "NO!". With an odd look, one of the lawyers asked if he could explain further, "I'll be partial to whoever is right!"

Needless to say, he was not selected. There are obvious ways to get out of it if you'd like to avoid being selected. But, as mentioned earlier, I found it the whole thing pretty interesting. My case was a civil suit, car accident where the "victim" said he could no longer work. I use "victim" because, almost like straight out of a movie, the guy appears in court, a year after the accident, in a neck brace, straight out that Brady Bunch episode. I was waiting for the defense lawyer to break out pictures of him moonlighting as a trapeze artist.

The most eye opening part was some of the other jurors attitudes. We heard arguments Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The following day was Thanksgiving. We were told, at about 3pm, if we didn't come to a conclusion by 5pm, we'd be required back Friday. A good number of people were planning on traveling for the holiday, and therefore their need to deliberate became pretty non-existant. Plantiff was asking for I forget what $ amount, and most felt the defendant was somewhat responsible, so a lower $ amount was agreed upon.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by tucker rocky

I received a jury summons today.
The date of the jury duty is 10/31/11.
I'm thinking of renting a gumby costume, while also wearing a shirt, tie, and jacket.

"I'm Gumby Dammit, I get excused from jury duty!

Originally Posted by JediKooter

You should go in dressed as Judge Dredd.

Both excellent choices!

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by tarcone

As stated earlier, we were the prosecuters puppets. We got to hear 20-25 cases in about 3 hours. Indicted everyone and went home. Heard some names I knew. Had some crazy cases. There are some sick puppies out there. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed. it.
Sorry this is so late.

Ok, I guess I'm not really sure how this works then. So, with a Grand Jury you just get some quick speed dating with your cases and all vote "guilty" or "not guilty" or what?

SI

[corbes]

In a grand jury you are just deciding whether the government has probable cause to charge the defendant with a crime. It is not the determination of guilt or innocence--that comes later in the process.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by corbes

In a grand jury you are just deciding whether the government has probable cause to charge the defendant with a crime. It is not the determination of guilt or innocence--that comes later in the process.

And there is no judge or adversarial process; essentially the only constraint on the prosecutor is that he cannot outright lie.

[tarcone]

Basically, a few police officers come into a room. Take an oath not to lie. Present the evidence. We decided if there was enough evidence to indict. The cases went along faster if we indicted. The prosecuting attorney was present the whole time.

[CU Tiger]

Grrr got a letter yesterday to appear in court on 10/31.
I am going to be out of state that entire week, but when I called in they said since they were so late in sending out summons they couldnt accept any cancellations or reschedules. What horse shit.
I asked the rammifications of not showing up, and she (clerk of court employee) said, "You dont want to do that. You could be IMPRISONED!" she sounded really serious...

I explained that I would not be there and would send a certified letter stating as such, not that I dont want to take part in the judicial process, but I have over $10,000 in this trip already spent (I am going to participte in a race and have built the car up just for this event) that I cant get back.

[spleen1015]

I haven't been hit with jury duty yet, but it is something I hope to experience at least once so that I can see what it is all about and do my duty as a citizen.